Critical Analysis #1 - Isabelle Wong

This past week, we discussed race, ethnicity, racial identity, and culture with a focus and emphasis on how it affected our personalities, lifestyles, and practices. 

The list I made in class had the following personal identities on it.
1. Lutheran
2. Woman
3. Asian-American
4. Taiwanese

I do not think any of my identities changed from before class to after class. I think that they stayed fairly consistent. I learned about how to define these identities in high school and also in some of my other HDFS classes, such as HDFS 201.  

Being a Lutheran is a crucial part of my identity. The values and beliefs that the Lutheran church holds make me who I am. Following the command of "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" in the gospels is how I love and treat those around me. This identity is only a couple years old, but it has come to be what I consider the most important thing about me. I have explored these identities by sharing about it with others and by continuing to live out my values and beliefs. My religious beliefs shape who I am and I believe transcend all of the other identities that I also hold to. In slide 11 of the "Understanding Cultural Differences in Development" slideshow, we learn that human development is largely shaped by culture. And for myself, my religious culture has shaped my development and this being the cultural practice I'm living in. I intend to explore this identity by continuing to talk with my fellow Lutheran friends about our shared identity. 

Being a woman is also a core aspect of my identity. I believe that being a woman is one of the greatest gifts that I have been given. I think my experiences as a woman in today's world have had a great impact on me because of how I interact with others and what I get to fulfill in that role. I plan to continue exploring this identity by continuing to be a woman in my relationships with friends, families, and other loved ones/ 

Being an Asian-American has also been a part of my identity. Being born and raised in the United States, specifically in Texas, has made me feel arguably more American. Both of my parents immigrated to the United States when they were in their late teens and assimilated into American culture, so my family has always felt very "American" in my own opinion. Yet, I would be classified as Asian-American for my racial group (Slide 19, Intro to Race, Ethnicity, and Culture). I think I walk the line between Asian-American moderately. Being trilingual due to speaking non-English languages with my family while also having a strong American identity has sometimes made me feel like I don't quite belong in either. I plan to continue exploring this identity by sharing my experience with other Asian Americans and hearing their lived experiences as well. 

Being ethnically Taiwanese is also a part of my ethnic identity. Although I have only ever called Texas/the United States my "home," I have also enjoyed getting to embrace my ethnic identity by connecting with other Taiwanese students. I have two friends who are also Taiwanese; one who grew up Asian-American like I did and then another who is an international student here at Purdue. Getting to talk with them about our shared ethnic identity has been enjoyable and I'm glad that we have gotten this experience. I plan to explore this identity by continuing to talk about being Taiwanese with others. 

I mentioned in my introduction survey that I am balancing sixteen hours of work with sixteen credit hours this semester. I foresee that I will struggle with balancing my work, school, and social time well because it is also my final year of undergrad here at Purdue. I plan to overcome these challenges by keeping myself organized with my Google Calendar, keeping myself accountable to deadlines, and asking for help whenever I need it. 







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