Currently, there is a struggle with stigmatizing cultural diversity and unbalanced power relations in educational settings. This qualitative study aims to understand students' narratives regarding their perceptions of cultural diversity and power relations at a public university. A phenomenological design was used with a non-probabilistic sample of 10 eighth-semester Social Work students selected as key informants by their professors. The study identified four categories with their respective codes based on 64 free quotations: identity (7 codes), inclusion (21 codes), urban culture (16 codes), and gender violence (23 codes). The research findings suggest that social inequality results from organizational processes within the school environment. The lack of a formal space for the free expression of culturally diverse student groups hinders the development of their sense of belonging.