I Had The Grand Honor Of Being Born Into An Culturally Diverse Family

My cultural identity is very important to me, as it makes me who I am. Both of my parents are Punjabi and they were both raised in Punjab, India. My mom migrated to America in 1998 and my dad did in 1997. I grew up around many Punjabi traditions such as Rakhiri, which is believed to tie the bonds between brother and sister, and Diwali which celebrates major historical events. I also grew up in a joint family which included my mom, dad, little brother and my moms sister, her husband, and her two kids. Since we lived together from such a young age, I was completely oblivious to the fact that we were considerd a joint family. Growing up i would say that i had two moms, two dads, and three brothers which people considered absurd. I am also very

As far as I can remember I had to learn how to be independent at a young age. My family wasn't

Being the oldest, I grew up with many responsibilities. I have always been the one to set the example, create the right path, and be the role model for my younger siblings. My single mother worked day and sometimes even nights to provide us all with what we needed, never failing to keep a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs, so she along with my brother and sister became my motivation to become the best I can be. I knew schooling would be an issue for us economically; there was no way my mother could ever help me pay and there was no way I would allow her to overwork herself. So I made the decision to leave home at the age of seventeen and move to Oregon. Becoming a resident of Oregon allows me to afford schooling at a much better cost, even if it means being so far away. It is very difficult being distant from my family, but I am doing this for them. Finally, I reached the moment in my life where I saw what was most important to me and it was to be the best I can be for my family.

My parents did not have many options. They come from very poor families and started working at very young ages, not having the opportunity to finish their basic education. They only went back to school to pursue their high school equivalency certificates in their forties (when I was

Despite playing the role of protector, there was no role that I enjoyed more than being able to help my siblings further their education, ensuring that their homework and mine was completed, accurate and ready for my mother’s review upon her return home from work. I was determined to transfer my passion for learning, and education in general, to my siblings and anyone in my household who would listen, which might have contributed to the fact that all but one of my siblings went on to attend and graduate from college. For me, getting an education wasn’t an option, it was the only option, a sentiment that I relentlessly stressed to my siblings, and my mother, who though a high school dropout at one point, went on to pursue and receive several college degrees later in life. At the age of 12, I took on my first job, which was essentially an entrepreneurial endeavor. My brothers and I spent the spring, summer and fall canvassing our neighborhood, seeking out residents who would allow us to mow their lawns or rake their leaves in exchange for a reasonable fee. While the earnings of that first job were meager, the intangible benefits and life lessons that I derived from it were tremendous. I learned a lot about earning and managing money, responsibility, and most significantly, what I did not want do with my life. The

Jamaican and Cuban blood runs through my veins. My brothers, sisters, and I jokingly refer to our family as the United Nations, in essences our entire family 's comprised of people from various ethnicities.

I was born on December 13th, 1996 in humble Texas. At the time, my father was 17 years old, and my mom was 21. The 3 of us at the time lived in a single wide, ran down trailer in Cleveland Texas. Back then, the town was very grungy and quite frankly,

Jamaican and Cuban blood runs through my veins. My brothers, sisters, and I jokingly refer to our family as the United Nations, in essences our entire family 's comprised of people from various ethnicities.

siblings, but became my mom’s godparents from baptism and raised her together, which is why I

The screaming, the crying, the fighting, was never ending. Some would last only hours and others would last days, but they would all end with threats of divorce and a finger aimed at me. My parents came from two completely opposite cultures; one is from Syria and the other from Mexico. As you can imagine, growing up in a culturally diverse household isn’t easy. My brother, sister, and I spend our lives trying to find the perfect balance between the two and continually fail. You can’t learn Spanish without learning Arabic, you can’t prefer one dish over another, you can’t even choose your religion. It has continually frustrates me how my decisions on certain aspects of each culture upset them both.

I grew up in a very ethnically diverse region located in Southern California. I am half Filipino and half Dutch and I am very open to many different cultures. Growing up I had a best friend who is Half Japanese and half Dutch. To this day I still consider him my brother. I learned about his culture and fell in love with the wisdom that it holds. The japanese culture has a very special connection to nature and our relationships with one other. This is where I started to find interest in this culture. I am striving to become a Marketing major and I plan on minoring in Sociology. I love seeing how people work with one another and why people act a certain way with one another. I love the ideas that this culture gives on how to coexist with one another.

My family is very diverse and comes from many different places. My maternal grandmother came to the United States from England when she was 18 and met my biological grandfather. They lived in Montana on Flathead Indian Reservation. This is where my mother was born and raised. When my mother was in high school, she met my

My parents dropped out of high school, once my older brother was conceived. My father worked strenuously at any job he could find, while my mother became a housewife. After the passing of my mother, my father needed someone to stay at home with his children while he worked late into the night and early in the morning. My stepmother took care of us and taught us how to support ourselves, while she prepared to work late in the night alongside my father. They have been working odd jobs with my father working two jobs, during my childhood, to support four children. We moved from Florida to Texas for the cheaper living and education for my brother. Our parents had made sure to never let us witness their struggle, but forced us to graduate

Our families are first to shape our ideals and identities in which we decide change or grow with, as we age. Growing up my family always made it clear that school and my education was my main priority. Once I turned

Growing up in a mixed background culture as a whole meant a lot to me. Growing up in a set of Indian family and a set of Egyptian family might to some people be a cool mix but it's much complicated as it seemed. The Indian culture was something I felt more connected to because perhaps I grew up