The Five Cultural Identifiers Of Who I Am

I encourage other athletes in the sports I participate in, as well as sports I do not

Sports are for enjoyment and fun, but I add something else to that list. I use sports to show all God has done for me to the world. I am blessed to have been brought up in a Christian family that taught me discernment at an early age. At the center of my family’s beliefs is Philippians 4:13, and we use it in our lives every day. God has blessed me with my athletic abilities, so I can be a light to the world in his name. According to Matthew 5:14-16, Christians are commanded to do this: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”(King James Version). Some may say that I am not the best athletically, and I agree with them. I know I am not the best, but I am witnessing to others through how I apply myself and respect my coaches and teammates. Like Matthew 5:14-16 says, “...A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid…”, and when I am a light for God, I can do all things through him.

When someone asks me what is my cultural identity, there are a lot of things that come to my mind. For example, one of the first things that come to my mind is the how people see me which is by being hispanic. In the same way, I also think about the fact that in addition to being hispanic I am also Salvadorean which sets me apart from the idea that every hispanic is mexican and they are all the same. In the first few seconds after I am asked about my cultural identity, I think about who I am and what makes me me. I think about how I was raised and how different I might be compared to everyone around me. I am a straight male who does not have any disabilities. I do not have a high socioeconomic status, but I have sufficient. Being catholic, I have no problem exercising my religion as I please and that really sets me apart from many because not everyone identifies with the same cultural identity as I do. Some people encounter many obstacles due to their cultural identity, obstacles that I might not face which is why I feel like my cultural identity has affected different aspects of my life such as my social development, family, education among others.

One of the things that made me who I am today is sports, everything that happens on the court or on the field will determine my reputation for the rest of my life, and how I will be treated.

To be an athlete, especially one of the three sport variety, is a huge undertaking, as it requires year-round commitment and a passion for hard work. Personally, I have played consistently in three sports since the fifth grade, and I believe this lifelong dedication has paid off for me. It’s impossible to put all of your energy into being an athlete, because while becoming successful in sports is one thing, it is an entirely more important matter to become a successful student. Balancing this can be hard and it is that balance which must be perfected in order to become a good athlete. An athlete to me isn't just someone who straps on their jersey and plays a game, it is a person who is dedicated to a sport on and off the field, and someone who exemplifies the best qualities in their environment.

Sports have helped shape me into the person I am today. Both cross country and track have increased my knack for supportiveness and taught me the importance of hard work. Furthermore, I value the dedication I have learned from cross country and the self control and perseverance I have learned from track. These acquired skills, which I will continually strive to apply to all areas of my life, are beneficial not only to me, but to those around me whom I effect and, consequently,

I am an all around athlete meaning I play several sports which are volleyball, basketball, and track. I have been an athlete since I was six years-old. My parents were also athletes when they were young, my dad played volleyball and basketball, and my mom played volleyball and ran track as well.

My cultural identity, as I know is Mexican American because both my parents are born in Mexico and I was born here. I can also be defined as a Chicana because that is another way used to call a Mexican American. My culture can be seen in so many different ways like for example it can be seen in food, music, religion, dance, art, festivals, and even more. Most of these traditions have changed a little bit over time as they were brought to the U.S. What I mean by that is that some of those traditions were brought from Mexico, and had a little change into them because they were combined with some traditions that have already been here in the U.S.

Most people call me Colby, but on the field i'm know as number 40. Soccer has been a part of my life since I was 3, my 12 years of experience have influenced how I act, what I eat and most aspects of my life-like who I hang out with and what I dislike. In the United states especially, sports are a huge part of everyone's cultural identity. With all this in mind I would call my cultural identity a soccer game. It can change in a blink of the eye but is consistent through life.My family is like the other players, education is like the field and my hobbies are like the ball.

The idea of cultural identity is your feeling of belonging to a cultural group, the things that separate you from your culture and the things that bring you together with your culture. Even though members of a culture share some beliefs they aren’t exactly the same, this is the concept of cultural identity. These things that separate you from your culture, forge you into a dynamic and productive member of the same culture. My cultural identity represents who I am, if I am a productive member of society or not. It represents how I talk, what religion I am and what things I like to do. My cultural identity is represented by food, generation, nationality, ethnicity, and religion.

What is my cultural identity? Personally, I don’t think I am completely assured on what my cultural identity is, but I can do my best on explaining it. However, I won’t get started on that yet, first I’ll explain the occasion of me learning about my identity. At almost the beginning of the year, it was announced in our English class that we would be doing an essay on our cultural identities. When my teacher announced this I thought to myself, “What in the world is a cultural identity, or even my cultural identity?” In these months, we have gotten to learn the definition of culture, and what it means to us, individually., I believe that culture means a group of people that share the same customs, way of life, and beliefs. Also, over these last couple of months we have been reading texts all about people knowing and understanding their cultural identities, meanwhile I still didn’t understand my own. All I know is that I was born on February 11, 2002, I like movies and music, and my mom is from Chile and my Dad is from Virginia. Now that didn’t feel like enough for me to write on, but then I started thinking about all of the cultural differences that my parents have had raising me as a person, and how those have all combined to make me. In my short 15 years of life, the culture clashes have sometimes affected me on my thoughts and opinions, which I’ll talk about later on. As well as how movies and music have affected my perspectives and opinions.

A “Who are you?” question has a very broad meaning and cultural identity here is to define who we are other than just our name. Each person has their own physical identity where they can find it on their IDs, but the cultural identity is the thought, mindset, or perspective that define someone. There are things like our religion, gender, sexual orientation, or many other things that cannot be defined on the government’s document. For example, in my country, Indonesia, you have to put religion that you hold on your IDs. Since my whole family is a Christian, I put Christian as my religion on my IDs but I personally do not really hold any religions. The physical identity tells the people that I am a Christian but my cultural identity says that

After countless tries by my ancestors to establish a life in the United States it seemed destiny had a place for me. Come to think of it, may it wasn’t destiny calling my family to cross the border, rather our native land was calling us home. Still how colonized have I become to accept my new identity. In the novel, Cruz comments that Esperanza changed her son’s name from Robert to Bobby. (Loc. 215) “Call him Bobby. In America, he’s Bobby, Esperanza said” (Cruz). My parents didn’t assimilate that quickly. My full name is Socorro Martinez, and I’m the youngest of eight children. My father came to this country during the Bracer Act Program, after it was terminated in 1964 he worked in construction. My mother followed six years later with three children, after losing her daughter to an illness. I was named after my mother but was given the nick name Suki. Growing up no one called by my first name. I built an identity based on my nick name, and slowly my cultural identity was diminishing.

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

Ever since I was a child, my parents put me in various sports: soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball, and cheer. Both my parents grew up playing sports and realized that being a part of team sports benefits the growth of a person’s perseverance, determination and overall personality. Not only was I an avid multi-sport athlete as a child, my four other siblings were as well. Motivated individuals have surrounded me throughout my life. They have given me a great example of what it means to succeed and persevere. Not only have I been surrounded by strong individuals I have also been able to try different sports. While it was fun being able to try different sports, I realize early on that soccer was what I wanted to pursue. Soccer showed me how to be a part of a team and never give up.