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Throughout my life, poverty and prosperity were both seen and experienced. I grew up in Burr Ridge, and attended Gower West Elementary and soon Gower Middle. I mostly enjoyed my time there, and was fortunate enough to live a steady life in a good neighborhood. There was diversity in both schools and it was an interesting experience for me, especially in my younger years, to meet people of different backgrounds and lifestyles. I made many friends who's backgrounds varied and I'm happy I was able to share my experiences with them as well.

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I was born in Plainfield but grew up knowing Burr Ridge as my home. Living here for my whole life has been a blessing and I'm happy I got to experience a good childhood in warm environment.

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Welcome to the Village of Burr Ridge

The Village of Burr Ridge has a central location, including easy access to Chicago, that is within a short distance to the world of culture, sports, nature, and other activities available throughout the Chicagoland area.  The Village is located along the I-55 (Stevenson Expressway) and County Line Road (just south of I-294).

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Burr Ridge, IL | Discover the Communities in DuPage County

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From shopping and spa days to trendy restaurants and hotels, Burr Ridge offers a variety of activities and accommodations for your stay in DuPage County.

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This is Gower Middle School, which I attended last year. I'd be lying if I said my time there was great but I did make some memories and I'm glad to be finished with middle school completely.

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Power can be seen in my life through government and schools. As teenagers, power isn't something easily achievable. Young people generally don't have authority over others and therefore also lack power. I would like to increase my power as I get older by increasing my knowledge, and making my steps towards becoming a dependable leader. I would also like to have good influence on my peers and in my social life, but continuing to not misuse this as too much power can lead to negatifve affects.

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I believe in this group as they use their power for the good and wellbeing of other people.

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Belief and Ideology can be seen and impacted in my life by the influence of family, schools, peers, mass media, and religion. Out of these, I would think that family and religion play the biggest roles in my life and form who I am as a person. Being in a close-knit family, I feel no intimidation, and I can go to them for advice and support on anything in my life. I was raised in Christianity which also plays a big role in me and my views. I try to pursue my own belief independently as well; that I am true to what I stand with. I believe outside influence can impact you positively and negatively, but ultimately, it's you who makes these decicions. While I believe influence can be negative, it also is important to learn from others with different beliefs you learn more about other views. We use that extra information to improve our own choices. So, we benefit from learning from others, as it allows us to make more suitable choices ourselves. This makes understanding from other people's mistakes and successes more efficient than gathering things individually.

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The religious makeup of my community is primarily Christian (71%), (34% Catholic). Other religions include Judaism (3%), Muslim (2%), Buddhist (1%). As many individuals share different religions, there is also (22%) of non religious people. (3%) Athiest, (5%) Agnostic, and (14%) nothing in particular.

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Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project

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Explore the geographic distribution and demographics of America's major religious groups.

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Politics in this area are quite mixed, with about 40% liberal, and  58% conservative in Burr Ridge.

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Alice Park, Charlie Smart, Rumsey Taylor and Miles WatkinsFeb. 2, 2021

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An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2020 Election

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An interactive map that lets readers explore in new detail how most states voted in the 2020 presidential election.

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Technology is something that has always been existent in my life and throughout society. As it advances, we can see it attaining more power through lives as well. More than 97% of Americans own a cellphone of some kind, and that's just one piece of tech. The positive affects of these devices is that it improves our communication and brings together society. On the other hand, too much technology may lead to psychological and physical problems, such as eyestrain and difficulty focusing on important tasks. I find myself often procrastinating on my phone or watching TV when I have important things to do. While tech can be entertaining and be a good source of communication/information, it isn't good to spend masses of time on it.

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-  “Technology is best when it brings people together.”
Matt Mullenweg, Social Media Entrepreneur

-  “It is only when they go wrong that machines remind you how powerful they are.”
Clive James, Broadcaster and Journalist.

- “Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.”
Christian Lous Lange, Historian

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Culture consists of the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other attributes common to the individuals of a particular group or organization. Through culture, people and groups represent themselves, conform to society's shared values, and contribute to society. The elements of culture which impact my life the most are family, generation, music, religion, and education. I grew up with first-generation immigrant parents which undoubtedly played a role in my everyday culture. From the foods I eat to the language I speak, there is a clear culture difference than average American culture. Aspecs of my culture that I enjoy are food, and the close community we have. It's easy for Romanians to call eachother family quickly due to how effortless it is to connect with eachother. I enjoy this because it makes me feel like I am part of my own community where I am safe and feel accepted. I believe that my generation's own culture is also different than others. This can be a good or bad thing, but one positive aspect of the Generation-Z culture is the focus on mental-wellbeing. I think older generations can learn from this by being more understanding of anxiety and depression in schools, and fixing the system to stop the ungoing circle of unhappiness which takes place in them.