Thank you @planner03!
I agree with you; while I do have an underrepresented minority status, it did not seem to play a very large role (and not nearly as large a role as some on this website think). All future readers of this post, especially those also with an underrepresented minority status, should realize that they cannot rest on their laurels (i.e. their ethnicity). It may work for some. but certainly not for everybody.
And by saying that, I am not implying that I am bitter about what happened to me, because the reality is quite the opposite; I am just trying to make people work to their full potential, regardless of ethnicity, race, gender, age,etc.