Essay about Cultural Identity And Ethnic Identities

¬¬Cultural and ethnic identities are not things that you are born with. Sure your ethnic heritage may determine things like the color of your skin, but an ethnic identity stretches far deeper than just skin color. Cultural and ethnic identities are things that are learned over time. They are formed through a collection of teachings, experiences, and choices. This autobiography will explore how my ethnic and cultural identities developed throughout my life. I will focus on aspects from school, from my family, and from my friends that led to the formation of my cultural and ethnic identities.
I was born biracial. My father is Italian American and my mother is 100% Filipino. As a result, I have been exposed to a wide range of beliefs, values, and traditions growing up. From birth, I have lived in the Washington DC area. I grew up and still live in a suburb of Washington DC called Ashburn. Ashburn, like the rest of the DC area is extremely diverse. Though growing up it did not feel that way. I went to a small, private catholic school during my elementary and middle school years. Since most Filipinos are catholic, my mother felt it was important that I received a catholic school education. If I had to estimate, I’d say that the school was 90% white. In my grade there were only two other Filipinos. Long story short, I quickly became friends with them, and still am to this day. The only reason we started talking was because we found out that we were all Filipino. This was when I…