Personal Narrative: Finding Balance In My Identity

My identity can be defined by moments in my life. Moving to Canada, learning English and going to high school are three major moments in my life. Going through these experiences have changed the person in me and made me more confident, stronger, better in everything.

I grew up in rural Indiana with three brothers. Our family was a little different than most because all of us children had been adopted. The oldest of us, Andy, was two years older and had cystic fibrosis which meant he probably wouldn’t live to be 30 or more. The remaining three of us were biologically brothers. Triplets in fact. Our parents adopted all three of us together for some brave reason. I used to joke that there was a buy one get two free sale at the adoption agency and that I was the only one they actually wanted. It was never hidden from us that we were adopted, but it always left me feeling that I didn’t quite belong in certain family functions. I wanted to feel like I belonged in my environment. The military

What is identity? The definition as a person’s own sense of whom they are, which their past define them. Identity is very important in our society, no matter your social status. I can attach identity to belonging to something or place. As human race, we feel the need to belong to a group or place. Because belonging to a group or place, give us the sense of identity.

Culture and identity are inextricably linked concepts. Identity is formed by your culture and in turn your identity shapes the respective cultures of the groups you identify with. I belong to many different cultural groups, and my identity is a complex web of competing and conflicting beliefs, experiences, and characteristics. My identity is not only complex, but also dynamic, as the experiences I have change who I am.

Growing up a first generation Indian American, I struggled with identity. I asked my parents: was I Indian born-American or American born-Indian? They had conflicting answers. My mother said my ancestry is Indian, but to embrace my American identity. She taught me the values of hard work, independence, and seizing opportunities. My father encouraged me to retain my Indian heritage. He stressed that my traditions, cultural values, and family are who I am. After my parents’ divorce, I ended up living a double life, split between school years with my mom and summers with my dad. Learning to adapt to my parents’ expectations and financial circumstances made me the well-rounded, open-minded and educated person that I am today.

I saw, even though you tried to cover my eyes. I heard, even though you tried to block my ears. I felt, even though you pretended there wasn't a reason to. How could I possibly understand what I was seeing and feeling at such a young age? Who was there for me to talk to about it? No one..I had to comprehend so much. I sat behind the door with my back against it, when the screaming began again I closed my eyes this time. I pictured myself in a meadow with the grass being pure green and the sky being pure blue. The sun shined so brightly on my skin and the feeling of warmth comforted me. I could see a man walking up to me, but he was so bright you couldn't see his face. My throat was in a knot and my heart was heavy, but as

Everyone has an identity, and it is our identity which defines who we are and our place in society. Our identities help other people to draw conclusions about who we are, as well as, spotlight values and beliefs. Our identities have the power to positively or negatively affect how we live our lives, as well as, have the power to affect how we interact socially. Identities can be shaped and molded by the communities in which we live, the schools we attend, churches where we worship, the sports in which we participate, our race, gender, and physical features. Many of my friends, family, and acquaintances, describe my identity as being strongly influenced by my disability, my family values, and my fiercely independent nature. Prior to writing

All things considered, I do consider myself today, to have a strong sense of self, and understanding of my own personal identity. The phases and circumstances of my adolescent years shaped me to be the strong independent woman I am today, but withstanding this journey, there were some aspects of my identity that I had considerable struggles with. As stated in earlier passages, my internal struggle with my intellectual self was a difficult and long battle, and although today I sit here writing a paper for a graduate school course (something 6 years ago was not an option) I still struggle with the drive to make right my academic failure of my past. Like my academic struggles, another internal identity conflict I tussled with for a very long was my racial and ethnic identity.

When I pondered all of the character traits that I retain, a prominent attribute that recurred to me was that of independence. I have been called

Personal Identity is something I have never sat down and specifically thought about. Lucky for me, I have seldom had an instance where I was disadvantaged because of my identity. I assume that everyone has parts of themselves that they dislike-it is human nature, but we are who we are and I believe that everyone needs to be proud of that. The person I identify with is diverse from anyone else but that what makes humans so incredible. The person I classify with is someone who I am satisfied with in both my personal and professional self.

I always knew my identity was one that speaks that I am very compassionate towards others and have great patience, but it wasn’t until the impact of one little girl that made me realize I hold the interest in wanting to give back to the community by helping others who are incapable of helping themselves.

The word identity is normally associated with race, religious beliefs and looks, however, I believe identity is much deeper than that and can only be seen by its beholder. It is a person's inner passions or interests, who they are inside.The topic of identity made me think deeply about who I am and what I value; how others may perceive me as.One hard thing about this exercise was deciding wheater or not to include religion as a part of my identity, and in the end my religion did not define me enough to include it in my identity. At about eight o’clock at night when I was stuck on the topic of identity and who I was, I realised that it was not my race, religion, or looks that shaped me personally

Whenever I turned 18 I really wanted to get my ears pierced, again. I already had two lobe piercings and one upper cartilage earring, abut my cartilage earring had been done wrong, so for the last three years it was always hurting when I wore an earring in it. I talked to mom about how I wanted my ears pierced again and she didn’t like the idea, she said it was trashy, and tacky. I didn’t care, I still wanted them done again, but done properly by a licensed piercer at a tattoo parlor. I was still in high school and they had rules on how many piercings you could have, and I had softball so I couldn’t wear earrings then either, so I waited.

There are very different emotions and parts that make you who you are.Things that make me up are, I’m very active and athletic. I’m not the most social person but I enjoy

I do not know. The question of who I am becoming is something that is unanswerable due to my own personal lack of knowledge. My life and the people who surround me constantly change. As a teenager growing up in our current American society, the possibilities of how we want to look and act seem to be endless yet, labels are constantly being put on us. High school constantly tries to change you. Many of us struggle just to avoid living the typical high school cliché while other thrive from it. There are students that will peak and some that will plummet. We are becoming adults but in different forms and attempting to put who I am developing into in words can be extremely difficult. Our values, identities, and beliefs can vary and adapt within those four years or stay the same. Personally, I do not have a clue of who I am or who I am going to be. I have yet to experience that “ah, ha!” moment and many never do. Experiences such as traveling and being a camper at CYO have left me admiring and recognizing the good in the world and discovering the type people who I want to surround myself with. Ultimately, high school sucks to say the least and experiencing it will hopefully not negatively impact who I will become in the future but as I currently live through it, the major event is surviving it.