When being asked how my
culture has contributed to who I am and the choices I have made towards my
education, I would have to say that the Vietnamese culture has played a major
role. It is the main reason for me to be who I am right now as an individual.
My culture’s number one priority and value is education because we believe that
education has the ability to shape you as an individual and to give you the
knowledge and tools that you need for success.
Ever since I began to
speak my first few words and walk my very first steps, I have been raised in a
culture that has been teaching and reminding me that education is the key that
will get me to where I hope to be in life. Besides valuing my culture, the
American culture is also interwoven into me. At the age of four, I immigrated
to the United States. From that moment, I had to learn to connect my birth
culture with the American culture.
Growing up, I only had
one vision and it was to stay focused in school to pursue a degree at a
university because of the opportunity that I had been granted to live in the
United States. In Vietnam, there are many children who would want
this opportunity. Unfortunately, they cannot afford to either go to school or
to be given a life in a land of freedom. However, I was given both, so I have
to take advantage of the opportunities given to me.
I have received recognition for various achievements. In eighth grade, I had the
extraordinary chance to travel to Washington D.C. and meet all the
congressmen. We visited the White House, as well as many historic places such
as the Pentagon and the Holocaust Museum. I received the Presidential Award
signed by former President George W. Bush for being an outstanding leader of
the Washington D.C. Program. This program had high expectations; it required a
certain grade point average, leadership, dedication, and self-discipline.
From being taught in a culture that values all of these factors, I was
able to apply them here.
Our culture is what
makes up who we are. It is ingrained in us, down to the most basic levels of
our thoughts and personalities. There is no denying it: culture is one of the
major factors that shape us as we grow up, and it also affects the decisions we
make as adults. Culture is part of the foundation of our persona and ideology,
and, truly it is what makes us unique. These cultural values have made such a
strong impact on who I am becoming and on my education choices.
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