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Personal Narrative Introduction-

Hook: “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.” -Lebron James

Background: Growing up, I was always a confused little girl with a huge sense of curiosity in life. Not a single thought in the world when it comes to the topic of  “my future.” In society, we always have those parents that expect you to be in a workforce that they would want for you, rather than for what you really want for yourself. For me though, that was not the case. As Lebron James claims, our dreams only matter to us, no one else. Aat the end of the day; it is us who we face in the end. My parents were a huge figure in my life, and really depended on my life, almost as if it was theirs. I could only sense that my dreams were way past their expectations.

Thesis: Everyone has their limits in life, but what if it was restrictless? Striving for higher in our career only brings out the best in people than what they are assigned to do. Being very curious, and doing the best of your ability to anything that crosses paths with your life, comes with great responsibility and a huge grasp of success.

- Nadine Feliciano

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HOOK:

“One of the greatest tragedies in life is to lose your own sense of self and accept the version of you that is expected by everyone else.” - K.L. Toth

BACKGROUND:

As I was growing up, I always thought it was important to fit inside a mold of what other people expected of me and to not stray too far from that ideal. If I had done something that threw me off the alignment of others’ expectations, I felt a fear of disappointment. But as I continue to mature into the person I am today, I now know that my identity should not be defined by someone else’s assumptions. Although I do not define myself according to others, the many people and different life experiences I have gone through have inevitably shaped my beliefs and who I am now.

THESIS:

Of all the things that influence my identity, it is my family, my culture, and my life aspirations that have influenced me the most.

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Hook: An individual’s identity and sense of self is molded by their experiences and the people around them. Many of us grow up speaking their first word, making friends on the first day of school, and having their first love interest, but it is how that person gets there and with who that shape who they are.
Background: I always grew up following my parent’s expectations, trying my best to be the “it” child and being a high performer. As the only child of a first-generation immigrant Filipino family, there was always high expectations placed on my shoulders to perform and to make my parent’s sacrifice bear fruit. However, living my life this way made me feel almost like a robot, built only to be a symbol of my parent’s struggle and outlet to prove success. This expectation was ingrained deep within my being, making me push myself as hard as I can, even to this day. I feel like I never really enjoyed my youth, but I still lived life till the point I reached today.
Thesis: As I fight and struggle to understand myself, my experiences, friends, family, and aspirations molded me into who I am today.

-Angelo Lorenzo

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Hook:  "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."
- Albert Einstein
Background: Many of us grow up with this idea of success and that success defines us as a person. If you graduated from a prestigious school, you have a big  house, you have a high paying career etc. If a person does not fit in these categories then they are not considered successful. By this definition I am a failure, however these failures are what shapes my identity and drives toward what I believe to be true sucess.
Thesis: The many mistakes and failures that I have made throughout my childhood, teenage and adult life, have shaped my unique identity and achieved my version of success.

-erik boco

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Hook : American novelist George RR Martin once said, "Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”
Background: A large thing many of us struggle to discover is self identity as well as self love. I myself have found this to be my biggest battle which has shaped me to the person I am today. Much of many peoples journey to finding identity seems to resonate just to where they "fit" in but identity is much more than a spot which feels comfortable, it is one that makes each and everyone of us unique and different. It is not a characteristic which we find ourselves to be exactly similar to others.  Instead of finding our differences as disadvantages, we must use it as our strength because it is what makes us unique and gives us the  durability to not let others define us, but let our self affirmation speak for us.
Thesis: I put a lot of gratitude to the people who have helped me form myself to the person I am today, to my family, my faith, as well as experiences with past relationships.

- Hannah Ibasco

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HOOK:
Mary Manin Morrissey once said , "In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain the old  pain"

BACKGROUND:
For years, I could not let go of my haunting past. I felt like letting go was just so difficult to do. I, however had to learn to recover, accept, and move on. Life will always come at us in either good or bad ways but it is up to us to decide how it will affect us.

Thesis:
Thankfully I have the most supporting people in my life who have helped me thrive in life. My family, partner, and my hobbies has shaped me into the person I am today.

-Laisha Chavez Ceballos

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Hook: “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.” -Lebron James

Background: Growing up, I was always a confused little girl with a huge sense of curiosity in life. Not a single thought in the world when it comes to the topic of  “my future.” In society, we always have those parents that expect you to be in a workforce that they would want for you, rather than for what you really want for yourself. For me though, that was not the case. As Lebron James claims, our dreams only matter to us, no one else. Aat the end of the day; it is us who we face in the end. My parents were a huge figure in my life, and really depended on my life, almost as if it was theirs. I could only sense that my dreams were way past their expectations.

Thesis: Everyone has their limits in life, but what if it was restrict-less? Striving for higher in our career only brings out the best in people than what they are assigned to do. Being very curious, and doing the best of your ability to anything that crosses paths with your life, comes with great responsibility and a huge grasp of success.
- Nadine Feliciano

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Hook: American author  Dr. Seuss once said, “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

Background: when I first read this quote, it stood out to me because I was fearful of my true appearance, I was scared of being judged. I learned that I decide who I want to be and not to be what others want to see. The identity I have built is guided by my own decisions and that has created the person I am now. I will continue to be my true self and not worry about having to change for others.

Thesis: The three things that have made the biggest impact on and have influenced my life into the person I am today are my mother, my grandmother and self-image.
Elisa Flores

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Hook: "Life is too short, make the most of it." -Syndicate

Background: When we are little we are expected to be quiet in school and sit still for long periods of time. Eventually one becomes comfortable and follows the rules of society to be something that everyone expects you to be. However how Syndicate says, we must live life to our full potential and have fun with it. Syndicate is my favorite YouTuber and has impacted my view of life. Same with my grandad, which he always tells me to go out and have fun, travel while I still can because one day I won't be able to and if I only focus on societal norms, I will regret my life since I didn't do anything to please me.

Thesis: Everyone has different things that impact their life whether it be family, celebrities, or personal experiences. For me, the three main things to have impacted my life is my personal experience, Syndicate, and my grandad.

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Hook: In every one of us, we have our own identity. But what really is our own identity? Was it created or given to us, no one knows this answer. But what we do know is that the answer comes from yourself.
Background: To find the answers about yourself we got to look deep inside and think how we got this far in our life. This can be anything from the culture we come from, the place we are born into, the families we have, the friends we have made so far, and even the obstacles we have been through. My identity was created by the journey that I took since the day I was born, and it will keep adding on into something else while I still live. Whether the path I chose is the right one, the choice is mine and always will be.

Thesis: My personal identity has been created and grew into the person who I am today by my families, my friends, and my hobbies regardless of the obstacles i've faced.

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Hook: Marilyn Monroe said, “Every scar I have makes me who I am.”

Background: I am a firm believer that there are no mistakes, only lessons. Every scar, whether visible or inside, comes with its own story. The person I have become is influenced by every heart break, hurt feeling or loss I have endured in life. Scars are the chapters in a book, coming together to tell the story of who I am.

Thesis: My family, my health, and my passion made the scars that have shaped me into the woman I am today.

-Hanna Feinstein

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Hook: "Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself" - Harvey Fierstein.

Background: Identity has many factors that go into it. Culture, language, religion, family, who we are surrounded with, opinions, views, practices, hobbies, and self-image all play roles, yet there are still many more. As I go thought life, I often ask myself the question of "What makes me the person I am today?" It is not only a recent question, but a life long quest to find the answer. I would say I am close, yet so far from finding out.

Thesis: My life isn't the most traditional, but each trial that I face makes me a better person. Even though some of my identity is out of my control like family, and culture... the parts that I am in control of like hobbies, and self-image I strive to reach its full potential.

- Izabela Villarreal

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Hook: “Our destiny is not written for us, but by us” -Barack Obama

Background:

A wise man once said, “Our destiny is not written for us, but by us” - Barack Obama. This quote has inspired me throughout my life because it reminds me that I am in control of my own destiny and the events that lead up to my circumstances. Throughout my life, I've learned to utilize obstacles and roadblocks as life lessons that have shaped me into who I am.

Thesis:

I’ve had many experiences in my life that have helped me grow, including the birth of my son, having an absent father who is in a gang and falling into debt. All these different scenarios have influenced the person that I  have become today.

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Hook:
"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid but he who conquers that fear." - Nelson Mandela

Background:
This quote is one that has stuck with me throughout the years. Who am I if I do not take the chances in life. Will I trip and fall and make mistakes? Sure, but how else will I learn and grow from the consequences. I used to be a waitress years back and did not know what to do with my life. I was scared to go back to school and fail.  I had to make a drastic change, for the better. Things happened in my life that helped me develop as an individual.
Thesis:
My mother, my grandmother and my children have been key factors in molding my identity as what it is today.
-Stephanie Zavala

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Hook:
Aristotle once said, “ Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”

Background:
I had a choice,  to either live above my circumstances coming from being a first generation college student and to live above the typical statistic living below the  poverty bracket or stay within my circumstances and never excel.  This wasn’t an option, I was definitely going to strive for more. There’s probably multiple scenarios, situations and moments where I can tell you definitely shaped me into the woman I am today.

Thesis:
But for now, I want to point out three major influences that have shaped me which was my father walking out on me, my grandparents passing away, and becoming a teen mother.

-Kayla Markklam

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Hook:
“If I were a flower, I would be a sunflower to always follow the sun, turn my back to darkness, stand proud, tall and straight even with my head full of seeds” wrote Pam Stewart.
Background:
This reminds me that no matter how many negative things happen to me, I must move past it to move forward and continue to grow stronger. Throughout my life I did not always have the mindset of a sunflower to just let things go and to not be affected by what was happening or being said to me. I have always tried to look at the positive even when going through trying times but not always has it been easy. It was not until I was nineteen  that I started to  “reinvent” myself because I was tired of being the sad, dramatic girl and wanted to “find myself” with the mindset of being like a sunflower. I continue to grow and change everyday into the person I imagine and know that I can become.
Thesis:
In my life three things stick out to me as reasons I am who I am today, my parents, my family, and my career path.
- Destiny Hasson

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Hook: There are currently 7.9 billion people in the world. Each and every one of them have their own identity, which was created through religion, culture, social media, personal experiences and family.
Background: My father always told me to never compare myself to others as they have their own path of life. It was difficult to not compare myself with classmates and those close to me. I observed a lot throughout elementary school and high school. That is when all my problems and challenging lessons came to play. I would describe it as a battle to find my true self. Between the painful nights alone and having the best time of my life, creating my identity definitely was not easy.
Thesis: The three most significant influences that have shaped my identity are my childhood, mental health, and my passion for horseback riding.

- Vanessa Price

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Hook:
American novelist Veronica Roth stated, "I belong to the people I love, and they belong to me-- they, and the love and loyalty I give them, form my identity far more than any word or group ever could."

Background:
When I first read this quote, it struck me so suddenly that I knew it was the one I most identified with. The people with whom you love most, can impact your life in so many ways, both directly and indirectly. My identity is forever growing and changing. This has happened through life experience and gained knowledge. However, it is the people with whom I love unconditionally, that have molded me in to the person I am today. It is with their influences and imperishable support that I further navigate this road to self-discovery.

Thesis:
My mother, my children, and my sons autism diagnosis have all played a significant role in creating who I am today.

- Kelsey Dillon

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Hook:
Who are we really? Who are we destined to become? What do we identify as or are we just people who are classified by things such as our birth place, families or are we in search of our true identities?

Background: The easiest way to understand who we are and our identity is to dig deep into the person you are. Our identity is what makes us who we are. That comes from your personality, the people we surround ourselves with, our family, culture and something as simple as where you were born. It could even be where you live. I have never been one to put myself in a box. I feel like I am identified by the way I carry myself, the people I hang around, my family and my culture. I also feel like I have created the person I am and my identity. The questions I asked are questions I ask myself daily.

Thesis: My personal identity has been created by different factors and people in my life. My personal identity also consists of things like my family, my sexual orientation, my hobbies, and my religion.

- Shante Clincy

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Hook:

In the words of the wise Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung “I am not what has happened to me. I am what I choose to become”.

Background:

The first time I saw this powerful quote, it impacted me because it emphasizes the importance of looking back at my past, all the good and bad experiences that I have lived, and the people who inspired me to become who I am today. By integrating what we have learned from our past and how we responded to these events will result in empowerment and control of our future, we can choose to change by creating our own story and become what we want to be. In a way, life is similar to a screenplay where the back story is what happened, and the main story is what we choose to become, an example of this is the movie “The Wizard of Oz” where the protagonist Dorothy Gale changes her life and identity completely finding a way to a magical place and there influences the lives of everyone.

Thesis:

My identity has been influenced and shaped by my family, my husband, and my hobbies.

- Karina Iribe

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HOOK:

Are we predestined to become a certain person by factors uncontrollable to us such as our birth place, or are we architects of our own identity?

BACKGROUND:

Our identity, in simplest terms, is who we are, or better yet, who we believe we are. This belief is continuously influenced by everything and everyone around us, even when we are unaware of how it might be shaping our persona and belief systems. We are given the opportunity to shape our identity when new people, places, and ideas all are introduced to us every day. We do this by having an open mind and expanding our learning to these new opportunities. We then, also, actively choose to pursue new experiences which equally shape the person who we are. A mix of these uncontrollable and actively controlled influences all shape our personal identities.

THESIS:

My personal identity has been molded through factors both in and out of my control such as my family, my culture, and my hobbies.

- Laura Dombrow

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HOOK:
Thomas Szasz, a Hungarian-American psychiatrist once said, “The self is not something that one finds. It is something that one creates.”
BACKGROUND:

When I first read this quote, I felt that it was accurate but incomplete. I feel this quote should not end where it did, but rather continue to state that though “self...is something that one creates,” it is largely shaped by how you are socialized. Therefore, “self” may be self-created, but in response to external factors. This strong belief stems from learning stories about “Tarzan” children (children raised in relative isolation) who are characterized by a severely impaired sense of self. When I consider these stories, I cannot help but consider how dramatically different my upbringing has been. It makes me consider which factors are the most significant in shaping one’s sense of self, and in particular, my own. I think there are some universal socialization factors such as family, schooling, and community.
THESIS:
My identity, or “sense of self,” has been largely shaped by those universal factors: first by my family, secondly by my academic background, and thirdly, in my case, by my extracurricular activities.