preview

My Identity Essay Sample

Decent Essays

Nationality fosters identity. One’s identity is usually traced back to one’s culture and place of birth. But for me, nationality has fostered confusion. I was born in New York City and lived there for eight years; therefore I should identify as American. But when my family moved because my mother received a job transfer to Geneva, Switzerland, I was surrounded by a foreign language and culture. Living for the first half of my life among the diverse American population and spending the second half of my life surrounded by the homogeneous Swiss population sparked my curiosity. My exposure to two contrasting cultures shaped my perspective and allowed me to mature, as I learned to define myself and my ideals. My past allowed me to appreciate the value and privilege of learning–something that I had previously taken for granted. My curiosity cannot be shut down. When my middle school advisor in Geneva, Switzerland told me that science and mathematics were subjects I …show more content…

These 7 AP courses have made me aware of how much there is to learn. I have barely scratched the surface. I discovered Absurdism and Existentialism when I read La Cantatrice Chauve, by Eugene Ionesco. I wanted to learn more about these philosophies, and my sophomore Honors English teacher agreed to help me create an independent study on Absurdism and Existentialism. These philosophies appeal to me because they help explain the world around me through another lens. Whereas science explains phenomena by making sense of what occurs through observation, absurdism rejects trying to make any sense and embraces the irrationality of reality. The juxtaposition of studying science, philosophy and literature, while relating these subjects to my past experiences of living in Europe and the United States, has allowed me to perceive the world from a unique

Get Access