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And by grace, she'll be brave.

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Growing up, I often experienced 'cultural days' in my elementary school where each student in the class would bring a food that is specific to their culture. I never knew what to bring in because back then, I felt that I didn't really have a 'neat' culture like my friends with Mexican or Greek heritages. I still somewhat feel this way, but I always love to learn about my peers' cultures and heritages!

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What I believe is special about me is that I have the ability to make people feel comfortable and bring out their truest self. I really believe this quality in me will help me to be a great elementary school teacher. I always try to bring out the best in people, turn their minds towards the sunlight and think of the positive! During an activity in my past field experience, I read a book called Stars and had the students write on a cut-out star something or someone that brightens their day. Their responses were lovely and they were all very proud of what they wrote! (see photo below).

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I value many things that are not concrete: love, compassion, time, respect for one another, passion for interests, perseverance, understanding, empathy, and open communication. I value when people keep things real and don't try to make life look perfect from the outside looking in. I value heart-to-heart conversations, honesty, quality time, and relationships (see photo of my boyfriend and I below). I value my education and the education of the arts. But, I especially value my relationship with God and the path he has set for me.

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I have always been a little bit of an oddball. I never quite fit in with the popular girls, never played sports, and was an only child growing up. But, I found my niche when theatre came into my life when I was around 8-years-old. Performing for a majority of my life has shaped me into the person I am today. (Pictured down below is me performing a solo at the 2016 Freddy Awards). Because of my experiences in theatre, I am more social, bubbly, creative, and in-tune with my emotions. I also believe I am an old soul because my values and beliefs are not quite aligned with those of typical girls my age. I feel that these values have shaped the way I behave and were instilled in me because both of my parents are much older than parents of girls my age, so their generational beliefs and attitudes are different than the majority, as are mine. But, I am proud of the fact that I stick to my values and don't fit the typical "partying college girl" description.

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I'm going to be honest; my family and I don't really have deep, culturally-rooted customs and traditions. The closest thing that is a tradition for me is baking Christmas cookies with my grandparents and using the recipe that has been passed down each generation. On holidays, my family gathers together at my grandmother's house to celebrate. When celebrating birthdays, my grandmother will bake a homemade cake and the person celebrating their birthday gets to pick what type of cake: strawberry shortcake, pudding cake (NOT with actual pudding inside), or banana cake! Seen in the picture is me with my grandmother's strawberry shortcake, baked to celebrate my high school graduation!

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I consider my heritage to be influenced mainly from my Welsh and Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. My heritage can be seen in the food my family and I eat: potato pancakes (see picture below), welsh cookies, and brown-buttered noodles. Also, my father grew up in Bangor, PA and has carried the 'culture' of Bangor with him by always getting Bangor bologna every holiday.

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I am a mixture of many different cultures from around the world. Firstly, my father's parents moved to Pennsylvania from Whales. Then on my mom's side, my grandmother's parents moved here from Austria. I am mainly Welsh (see picture below), but do have some Austrian and Pennsylvania Dutch in me, as well as Native American (which come's from my mom's father's side of the family)!