Growing up, my culture has always been something so significant and important to me. As a Mexican-American daughter to two immigrant parents, the practices and beliefs that they have brought with them influence the way I am today, which shapes so many parts of my life. To me, culture defines who I identify as and it brings a sense of belonging to me, it also shows how important it is to express it and to show everyone around me my culture. 

My culture is something that brings comfort and inspiration to who I am. The amazing festivities, food, and music that is produced makes me enjoy sharing my culture to everyone around me. To me, personally culture has made me thrive as I grew up in an environment where expressing your background is important and that it is okay to share with everyone else.

An early memory of me sharing my culture was when I would introduce myself to my friends of a different race and talk about all my favorite foods that I ate growing up. I mentioned such foods like tamales de pollo, tamarind candy, and different snacks and seeing them enjoy what I have consumed throughout my life brought me joy and happiness. It brought me a sense of belonging and comfort like I was able to share my culture and the things that I grew up with in my childhood. 

My culture has also impacted the way I see my family and because of it, I have grown a deep connection with them and become deeply loyal to them because of everything that they have given to me. As Mexicans we proudly show the love to everyone that is our family because of the personal experiences we have gained together. Due to my culture having an impact on the way I see my family, it has led me to continue a loving and strong bond with my family that I love dearly.