What does it mean to be an American? Does it simply mean that you were born in this country? Or does it mean that you share American cultural values? And are there really any universal American values? These are the types of questions that I have grappled with throughout my life as a "minority." I am part of a very small religious and ethnic group that is growing smaller in number every day: Zoroastrian’s. I have always understood that my Zoroastrian cultural identity makes me somewhat different than many of my fellow North Carolinians; however, that never detracted from my sense of patriotism and identification as an American. I am not particularly religious – I believe in humanity. I like to enlighten and provide insight into Zoroastrian beliefs of “Good Thoughts, …show more content…
The conversations often makes others get a better insight into my identity. I have constantly helped redefine Americans ' understanding of what it means to be Persian, while simultaneously challenging others to change their understanding of who an American is and how great this country is. For me, these actions have not been the result of choice, but rather simply a fact of life, blessed and lucky to be born an American with my unique identity I would have it no other way. Over the summer I had the opportunity to pursue an internship abroad in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The internship was related to accounting and business analytics. It was my first foray into a corporate work environment and my first experience working abroad. While I had spent time preparing for the work I would be doing,