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Cultural Identity And Identity Essay : Who I Am?

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Who I Am
I come from a small town in South Georgia consisting of a flashing light and a gas station. I grew up on a dirt road surrounded by woods, mosquitos, and adventure. If you ever listen to the song “American Honey” by Lady Antebellum, that was my childhood—or really any country song about being a kid. The age old question, “Who do you want to be when you grow up?”, implies that we are never fully adult until we are fully who we want to be. As I have transitioned into adulthood, I’ve found that we are never really fully grown, but rather always growing. We are always changing, transitioning, and striving to become our ideal selves; however, this destination should never disqualify the journey of getting there. The journey is what …show more content…

Each home had a substantial amount of land. Our house shared a plot of fifteen acres with my aunt and cousin. Despite my predominately white neighborhood, our surrounding town and community were mainly black. I went to a private school from K3 to 8th grade. The school was very small and had about 300 children total. We probably had two black kids in my class ever—all the rest were white. After middle school, I transferred into the public-school system. It was a colossal transition. My classes went from having ten people to a minimum of thirty. I suddenly became the minority within my school population as a white female. The public high school I attended reflected the demographics of my community. I felt very isolated, and my race became one of my most salient identities at that time. It a challenging change, because I had never had to make friends before—I always knew everybody before. I had never been friends with people who looked different than me. I look back on that time in my life thankfully, because without it, I would not have been exposed to diversity and the beauty that comes from it. I also would not have the interpersonal skills needed to make it through my freshman year of college. In that time, my biases inherited from my parents were challenged for the better. I came to know, appreciate, and love people from all walks of life, races, and religions. As an individual, I am always most aware and affected by my identity as a Christian.

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