Personal Narrative: Maintaining Personal Identity

I was introduced to the United States and American culture at the age of three. In the initial three years of my life home came in the form of two locations: a military base in northeastern Peru and the capital, Lima. As a result of the economic instability occurring in Peru, my parents, at the ages of 28 and 29, decided to leave their families and migrate to the United States in order to raise me in a sound environment. Eighteen years have passed since that conclusive action. My parents determined to settle in a suburban cultural melting pot in south Miami called West Kendall. Many of the families that resided in this community shared similar circumstances and had recently immigrated with their children or were beginning to build a family

It entails a series of linguistic, ideological, and societal factors that are all intertwined and weaved into a unique and diverse perspective of the world. Meanwhile I believe it to be fundamental to appreciate, assimilate, and integrate into a societies culture in order to be a proficient and apt member of a community, it is also essential and beneficial for individuals to embrace, learn, and maintain any form of their self-identity. All aspects and experiences dealing with a person’s identity can contribute and serve as vital sources of knowledge, perspective, and decision-making. Unlike many of my friends, I took a different path and approach when it came to how I became part of the American community. I chose to hold on and cherish all factors of my cultural identity, including language, food, and traditions, and fused them with my newfound appreciation for American culture. My parents served as an instrumental factors and mentors for this experience. Even though they understood and spoke English to a certain degree, my parents stubbornly refused to speak to me in any language that was not Spanish. They preached on the future benefits and possibilities that may open if I maintained my language since English would be taught to me in school regardless. I was indoctrinated with close-knit and traditional Hispanic family values, such as holidays, contacting family members for every

My experiences have evolved in a profound understanding and admiration for individuals and different communities regardless of socio-economic status, culture, religion, or any factor that may form a taboo in someone head. As I embark on the final stages of my academic career and prepare to enter society as a laborer, I am without hesitation or doubt that my diverse self-identity will provide me the tools to mature into a better person, professional, and leading member of