Nesrin Aksoy

June 4th was my best friend's birthday. She passed away in October of a heart attack from a rare coronary heart disease she had but didn't know about. It was a Thursday, and I was swamped with work. In addition, I was recovering from seeing riots on my street and in my city the previous Sunday. I learned so much from my Turkish friend. Nesrin moved to the United States as a little child. She was bullied and ridiculed by her classmates for being different growing up in the U.S. I learned from my roommate and friend to respect people of different nationalities and cultures. She taught me to accept their differences and embrace diversity. As a result, I have had many cultural experiences and learned so much about the world from friends and neighbors who grew up in other countries. I am so thankful for having Nesrin in my life and teaching me so much about acceptance, understanding and inclusion of all races. She taught me, a close minded girl from Huntington Beach, to be open and accepting of all people in the world. She changed my outlook on life. I have close friends now from all over the world because of her. I will always love and remember her for that. Thank you Nesrin Aksoy. I miss you.