Belonging is not accidental; it’s intentionally designed
Belonging is not accidental. It’s something we build or something we accidentally block. And if you’ve ever felt like you had to “earn” your right to be in a room… if you’ve ever softened your accent, rehearsed your words, watched your body language, or carried an invisible checklist of how to be acceptable…Then you already know: belonging is not a personality trait.
It’s not luck. It’s not “confidence.”
Belonging is design.
It’s the difference between being included and being tolerated. Between being invited to participate and being expected to “figure it out.” Between being told you’re welcome and being able to feel safe enough to exhale. And during cultural transition, when everything familiar is shifting, that design becomes essential.
Cultural transition isn’t only migration. Most people hear “cultural transition” and think immigration. That’s part of it, yes, but it’s bigger than that.
A cultural transition occurs when your environment changes faster than your identity can keep up. It’s the moment you realize the rules are different and no one handed you the guide. It shows up in more places than we name out loud:
Organizational change. New roles, restructuring, leadership shifts, and new expectations often come without clarity. Suddenly, what used to work doesn’t. And you’re left reading the room for survival.
Regional moves. New communities. New norms. New networks. You can feel lonely in a crowded city when you don’t yet understand the rhythm of belonging.
National transitions. Immigration systems, civic systems, and legal expectations. These transitions carry the highest stakes: safety, identity, opportunity, and sometimes fear.
Interpersonal transitions. Family changes, caregiving, relationship disruptions. Even love and responsibility can remake your sense of self and your place in the world.
Across all of these “in transit” moments, one question keeps repeating: are people truly belonging or are they just learning how to fit?
The quiet truth: systems teach people where they stand
Institutions don’t only provide services. They send signals, sometimes subtle, sometimes loud, about who is trusted, who is seen, and who has to prove themselves.
Belonging is shaped by:
Policies that assume one “default” experience
Communication that uses insider language
Processes that punish people for not already knowing the rules
Environments that prioritize compliance over dignity
“One-size-fits-all” systems that treat differences as a problem to manage
This is why belonging isn’t accidental. Because exclusion isn’t always intentional, it happens every day through design choices no one questions.
What gives me hope
I believe we can redesign for belonging. Not through slogans. Not through performative statements, but through real decisions that make people feel:
Safe
Respected
Understood
Able to participate without fear of being dismissed
Belonging is not created by saying, “You’re welcome here.” Belonging is created when the system makes it true.
This matters deeply to me, not because I am a scholar, but because I see myself as a bridge between the two worlds. As a bridge, I have published an article in the Ibero-American Journal of Judicial Schools (RIAEJ) in both Spanish and English.
Writing in two languages expands access, connects audiences across regions, and increases the potential impact of this work within judicial institutions and public systems.
Peer reviewers affirmed the rigor and contribution of the scholarship with feedback such as:
“The article is original… a valuable contribution… going beyond sociological and economic aspects to examine learning and personal transformation. The topic is timely given the global relevance of migration.”
“A relevant contribution… a novel perspective… empirically supported… the analysis, structure, and conclusions achieve the intended objectives.”
If you’d like to read and share, here’s the article: http://bit.ly/4aLIkme
Let’s make this a conversation.
Where do you see institutions unintentionally creating barriers to belonging for people adapting to a new culture, and what would you redesign first?
If you’ve lived an “in transit” (in a new country, a new job, a new role, a new family season), I’d love to hear what helped you feel like you truly belonged, not just fit in.
