Although I've spent the majority of my life on Long Island, I spent the first 6 years of my life living in Queens, NY. It's where I was born, and it's helped shape who I am since before I was born. Queens is the most culturally diverse county in the United States and therefore one of the most diverse places on the planet. Close to 50% of it's residents are foreign born and over 120 different languages are spoken in the largest borough of New York City. Most people refer to the US as a melting pot, but I believe it's more like a big patchwork quilt.
New York for Hispanics up on Washington heights was everyone’s second home, that’s were most decedents of the Hispanic race had migrated too. Growing up with practically another Dominican republic just a few blocks away allowed me to reconnect with my origin with actually visiting the mother land. I learned so much in so little time such as the diversity in food different ways to make and serve them, and the interests that everyone had. The union that we called family even if we didn’t know each other we looked out for each other because face it were all we have. Now despite what some people might think, no not because someone is Hispanic in Washington heights doesn’t mean their automatically in a gang or all for violence but when it comes to defending your own its everyone for their people.
was born in a small town in Texas known as Laredo. It was a poor city and was basically the border town to Mexico, it was always a mess, always hot, and only snowed once in 2002. Even though the city I was born in was harsh place, I had a great family that raised me well and taught me how to be respectful to my elders. Home was always different, every 2 to 3 years we always moved around so I really didn’t have many friends, until I moved to San Antonio is where I found a great home in 2007, the neighborhood was filled with nice people and each house actually had a lawn and not just broken cars or dried dirt in the front porches. The community was fantastic as well, the people and atmosphere we lived in when we moved to San Antonio was so much better than Laredo because people were actually nice to you and everyone didn’t look like they were going to cause trouble.
I grew up in San Francisco, California and I am so happy that i did. My home state has always seemed so welcoming compared to others and it still continues to do so in my opinion. I believe that growing up in california has positively influenced me because it is so diversed and filled with endless opportunities. There are so many people from all over the world who come to california and it is an important aspect because it resulted to having me exposed to different cultures as I’ve grown up and it has changed my perspectives on many things in the world. Opportunities are also everywhere in california, for example , a program that i am attending called Breakthrough, it is a non profit organization that supports youth in receiving a good education and supports students on the path to college.
When I was in kindergarten, I did not have friends; my highs and lows oscillated on the approval of others who understood me even less than I did myself. For picture day, I remember being happy to wear my favorite shirt: a Strawberry Shortcake blouse with ruched sleeves. A girl deprecatingly told me I looked like a little kid. I never wore the shirt again. Although I already felt like an outsider, the situation worsened when I moved from Las Vegas to Hawaii.
I have had tough hope once, I had to move to a different state and start to get used to the new place. Moving was hard and took a long time to move everything to our new house. My new house was hard to get used to because it was different and I wasn 't used to it which made it hard to sleep and I had to leave my friends behind and I would have to find new friends. Making new friends was hard because I would be alone until I found new friends and I would have no one to talk to so I would be very quiet. Usually I would always be talking to a friend and I am only social with friends.
Puerto Rico, the city where I was born on a February 28. The land that saw me grow up and became the person that I am today. My parents decide to name myself Shakyra Lee, pretty right? I’m 21 years old now, and this is my third year here in the US. Everything that I love my family, friends and even my boyfriend are back there, but I came here for a reason, college.
For most of my life I have felt like an outsider. I've been described as artistic and outgoing, but this was only a part of what made me different; what made me an outsider was my sexual orientation: I'm gay. During middle school I was severely bullied for being gay, I lost many of my friends, and when I tried informing school staff that I was bullied, I was ignored and left to figure it out with my family. It was hard for me and my relationships with those close to me. I would not fall victim to others' attacks, I had to persevere in my schooling, I became the little engine that could.
My Utopia looks different in certain areas, some areas are more like very futuristic giant cities, with sky scrapers, and very tall buildings. There would be very many video game, and sci-fi movie characteristics, for example, Star Wars. In the 2nd movie, there are giant buildings and flying vehicles. The vehicles fly through the city above the clouds. Then outside the giant city, there would be more old fashion houses, and other older fashioned buildings.
I was a remarkably timid seventh-grade girl who, for English class, was assigned to memorize and recite a poem. I recited “Where the Sidewalk Ends” well enough to advance onto the schoolwide poetry slam. I was incredibly nervous to be on stage before the whole school, nonetheless I did my best. When I walked off the stage however, I felt certain I was going to lose. So, when my name was called for first place, I was genuinely shocked and overjoyed.
Home Water gushed down the cracked sidewalk into the drain, the freezing droplets raced down from the clouds above. Walking through the rows of parked cars, John looked up at the immense TV screens that over looked the congested parking lot, blaring car horns piercing his ears. Trash flooded over the disgusting rims of the cloudy gray cans. Chains of people rushed into ticket lines, each person eager than the next to get in. The sun was falling out of the sky as the temperature dropped below freezing.
Tears streamed down my face as I took one last look at my childhood home. It was a bittersweet moment. I had been longing to move to California for months, but it was not until that moment had I realized how much I would miss Georgia. When I finally stepped into the car, my heart felt like it was shattering into pieces. I would be leaving behind a good life, one full of loving friends and neighbors, in replacement of moving across the country to a place that I had never before seen.
At this time of year, I begin to look back at my life after 12 hard years of schooling. Throughout the course of my life, there have been many ups and downs, but these up and downs is what made me who I am today. These influences have shaped my values, attitudes and beliefs towards life. There have been many important people and events that has impacted my life. One of which is family and the media.
As I stepped out onto the field, my gaze drifted upward. The sky was speckled with millions of tiny, glittering stars. We were so isolated out here that even the Milky Way was visible. I had never seen it in person before. That’s just one of those things that only happens at camp, the most magical place I know.
Surrounding environment plays a significant role in shaping a person during their lifetime. My neighborhood plays a key role in building me and making a person that I am today. I lived in an educated, active and respectful environment. I was raised in a small town of India; where poor and wealthy, intelligent and unintelligent, hard working and lazy, and Hindu and Muslims reside together. However, part of my life I was raised in the USA, which shaped me similarly but in different ways.
