Reflecting on my Indentity

Sharing what is important to my identity and why.

My Top 3 Identities:

1. Christian

2. Woman

3. College Student

I believe these three identities share not only who I am but my morals and value too. Each has its influence on the way I think, act, and behave. My first, and most important, identity is listed at the top while the rest of my identities follow in order.

As a Christian coming into Spain, it is very easy to relate to a lot of the history and culture that makes God the center of it all. The Spaniards were, and still are, very proud to be Christian. Being Christian is a huge part of my identity since it shapes my views on many different important topics and how I walk, talk, and act. Being Christian means I handle things with peace, patience, and kindness putting others above myself first. Although I am Christian I think that the Spanish may perceive me a little differently since I am not Catholic, but Protestant. I hope to find a home Protestant church in Spain to have a faithful community but it may take a little research!

Being a woman in Spain I may be seen as inferior to men but to me, it means defying the odds. Traditionally women are known to clean the house, make dinner, and take care of the children but to me, it means more than that. It means doing all of the traditional work while also obtaining a degree and making a living that defies normal statistics. Growing the number of women in STEM is important to me and getting my degree in Human Sciences does exactly that. In general, I do think that women are seen to be less knowledgeable than men and I am excited to disprove the stereotype.

Finally being a college student means a lot, it means I am tired, broke, and I have a lot of studying to do. It means I have a lot of growing to do while also experiencing the most fun and exciting years of my life before I seriously have to settle down, which is a lot of pressure. These small four years of my life teach me how to become independent and brave. How to take risks and how to become the most responsible I have ever been giving myself a little taste of what the real world looks like and quite frankly it's a little scary. On top of all this, it means I am starting to have a voice in society, I am voting and truly living through historical moments that will change my great grandchildren's way of life. Study Abroad is my first big girl step into seeing what the whole world looks like and as a kid (basically) right out of high school it's scary, but it is my first extremely brave move.