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We all are under one sky

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Respect is a huge part of my culture. I was raised to always be respectful to everyone I come in contact with, especially parents. I remember when I was little, my mom would always tell me to go out of my way to say hello to people that we knew. She would tell me how good of an impression it makes. I always thought it was annoying, but now that I am older, I see the importance.

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One thing my family loves to do is travel. We have been traveling for as long as I can remember. We love to go on cruises together. We try to go on vacation at least 3 times a year. Traveling to new places really brings us together as a family and gives us a great opportunity to bond and make new memories. I will never be too old to go on vacation with my family. My favorite place that we have been to so far is Bermuda.

*Below is my mom, brother, and me pictured in North Carolina for our family vacation this past summer.

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I value the gift of friendship greatly. I have known my best friend Katrina since I was born. She is 4 years older than me and she is my neighbor. We often tell people we are sisters, because our relationship is more of a sisterhood than a friendship.We argue like sisters, but we know how to let things go. I look up to her and get my inspiration from her. She has been such a good role model for me my whole life. When we tell people we are sisters, they always believe us, so we just let them. She is apart of my family.

*Below is a picture of Katrina and I on Easter this year.

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I grew up Roman-Catholic. Both my mother and father are Catholic. I attended Catholic school since I was in pre-k. Religion was very prominent in my childhood. We attended Church as a family every weekend. We also did a lot of community service work for our parish. My father is the head of outreach in our church, so I am  always involved in community service projects. He also plays the piano in a band that plays at church every other week. My parents still attend church weekly, and I try to go with them as often as possible.

*Below is Katrina and I at my high school graduation from Archbishop Carroll

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Christmas is a huge holiday celebration in my family. On Christmas eve, we attend mass as a family. After mass, we go to my dad's parent's house for dinner. My whole dad's side of the family is there. After dinner, we all help clean up and sing happy birthday to baby Jesus. On Christmas day, we go to my Aunt's house on my mom's side of the family and have dinner there. Easter is another big holiday in my family. Since my dad is Slovak, it is a tradition that we have a special Easter cheese at Easter dinner. I help my grandmother make the Easter cheese 3 days before Easter. I have been doing this since I was about 14 years old. We also color Easter eggs as a family the day before Easter.

*Below is my boyfriend and I coloring Easter Eggs with my cousins.

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My mother is 100% Italian. Her grandparents were born in Italy, and came here when they were young. Her parents were both born here. My pop-pop was in the army, so my grandmother moved to California where he was stationed. They moved back to Norristown and had my mom. My dads parents were both from Bridgeport. They met and married at a very young age. My dad is Irish, Polish, and Slovakian.

*Below is Me, My brother, and my grandparents

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I come from a very close-knit family. We make sure to see each other at least once a week. My pop-pop comes to our house to visit us everyday. I live in a house with my mom, dad, brother, and four dogs. Our close family lives within a 15 mile radius, so the commute is a quick one. I have lived in the same house my whole life. Family is VERY important to me. I was raised to put my family over everything. If a family member is in need, it is my responsibility to drop everything and help them.

* Below is a picture of my family at my uncle's 60th birthday dinner