# data[].attributes.body
My paternal grandparents immigrated from Morocco to Israel in the 1940's.  Maghrebi mint tea, also known as Moroccan mint tea, is a green tea prepared with spearmint leaves and sugar, traditional to the Greater Maghreb region. It has since spread throughout North Africa, parts of the Sahel, France and the Arab world.  This famous and beloved drink is made by steeping green tea with a generous handful of spearmint leaves; sometimes other types of mint or herbs may be added. Many families serve tea more than once a day, and Moroccan hospitality dictates that one must always offer mint tea to both drop-ins and expected guests

# data[].attributes.body
This is a picture I took when visiting the Smokey Mountains. In my own spiritual practices, connecting with nature is a crucial aspect of increasing wellbeing. By visiting breathtaking natural environments, one can humble themselves and realize the immensity of our universe. While in nature, I implement mindfulness and meditation practices. I believe nature has restorative powers on ones soul and can help heal or resolve certain problems otherwise not relieved by traditional means. Natural places, such as mountains, rivers, woods, and the ocean hold great power for me and are a huge part of my spiritual wellbeing.

# data[].attributes.body
This image best represents my culture because I am always at the beach. I live near it so I am able to easily access it. I enjoy spending my time tanning or hanging in the water with the waves. I eat seafood all of the time while I am there. I eat things such as crab cakes, crab dip, and shrimp. The beach is a way for me to relax and feel at peace. The beach is also part of my culture because my family has been here for awhile so they enjoy it as much as I do. I also enjoy not having to wear shoes and just wearing a bathing suit wherever I go.

# data[].attributes.body
Horses have been a part of my life since I can remember. Growing up, I spent much time with my grandparents, and they were always taking me to different horse farms. I started riding when I was about 5, and since then I have spent countless hours around horses whether it be grooming them, riding them, or simply enjoying their company. My grandfather's grandmother was part of the Apache tribe, and I have always felt a connection to my Apache roots. I believe my love for horses goes beyond a little girl's love for horses. Horses represent strength and loyalty. What continues to amaze me is how communicative and emotional they are. Creating a bond with a horse is one of the most pure things in this world.

# data[].attributes.body
The Italian horn and roman catholic crucifix represent my culture. I have worn both since baptized around 1. The Italian and church cultures have their similarities like many other cultures. The horn is an supposed to protect the individual from evil spirits and the crucifix is as many know the symbol of roman catholicism.

# data[].attributes.body
This best represents my culture because I grew up on the Jersey Shore and this place holds some of my fondest memories. Any time I need to relax or feel better, I find myself driving to the water and immediately feel better. Im lucky to live in such a beautiful place and I will continue to spend as much time there as I have in the past.

Jessica Rubman

# data[].attributes.body
I chose the bonnet to represent my culture.This was kind of hard for me just because I honesty don't have an original African culture like Nigerian or Ethiopian.But I defiantly do things that most races don't do. And thats wear my bonnet every night to sleep.Its such a simple but important concept.A bonnet are mostly made out of silk and the are kind of cone shape if you would like to say.They. have an elastic band to go around your head so that it doesn't come off while you are sleep.As a natural American American woman if I don't wear my bonnet at night my curls can either   mat up, lose their curl all together, lose their shine, the list goes on.

Zaria Spence

# data[].attributes.body
I choose this dress to represent my Nigerian culture. This dress is made of a material called Ankara. It is a popular material that many Nigerian clothes are made out of. It comes in various colors and patterns. I choose this dress because I feel like Nigerian clothes are very unique. They are similar to clothes from other African countries, but you can still tell when someone is Nigerian by something they are wearing. This dress is one of my favorites that I own that represents my culture.

Angela Oyetimbo

# data[].attributes.body
In between my times at college I spent a couple years riding horses and working at barns as a groom. My lifestyle shifted and I really identified myself as a “worker”. I would work 6 days a week whether at the home barn (7am-4pm) or at a competition (5am-7pm). The other grooms were all Hispanic or Latin. A large majority were illegal immigrants just here to send most of their pay back home. My favorite moments were at competitions when the sun had just set, but the day still had at least an hour left. Most of the clients had gone home and everything was tranquil. No one was stressing or running around. Some of the guys would crack open a Modelo as they finished cleaning the equipment or picking out a stall. I bought this hat (most grooms wore sun hats or cowboy hats because we are outside all day in the summer) into my second year or working as a groom and although I already felt myself apart of this community of workers, it felt like I decided that I would rather be the person that takes the horse from the client rather than the one that hands them off.

Bailey Doloff

# data[].attributes.body
This is a photo of my grandmother surrounded by several of her delicious homemade pies and cakes. For as long as I can remember,  my grandmother was constantly in the kitchen baking something for dessert. I remember coming home from kindergarten, standing on a chair, and helping her make cookies every single day after school. I definitely see baking as a part of my culture, because it is something that has brought my family together for as long as I can remember.

# data[].attributes.body
I choose this image to represent American Culture in general, or at least a portion of the American culture we have grown up in. The shopping mall was originally meant to be a gathering place, a community hub for neighborhoods and a way for American people's to come together. This idea was subverted to meet very  different needs, for better or worse, and created a phenomenon across the country that we only know are begin to see die. I choose this image as it shows the culture of consumerism that America has been projecting out into the world for decades, one of excess and wealth, a projection of our economic strength. I felt this represented strongly an American culture touch point that all people's of the world would recognize.
-Zachary Campbell

# data[].attributes.body
For my photo, I picked a picture that a friend took when I drove them along some backroads of the town I grew up in. Growing up in a small town, it took me a long time to connect with any kind of culture and for me to realize that all people have culture, regardless of where they come from. I have always felt connected with open space- it makes me feel at peace and gives me time to think. While this may not be specific to a particular culture, it's what I grew up to appreciate and how I was raised.

# data[].attributes.body
An item that means a lot to me because of the meaning behind it, is my Jerusalem cross. I got my Jerusalem cross in high school during a week long retreat called Kairos. Spending the week with my classmates at the retreat was a transformative experience and whenever I'm lost in the moment or stressed, I look at my Kairos cross, and think of my brothers and the sacred time we shared together. I still wear mine everyday & there are plenty of others who do as well. I use the cross as a reminder of how I've gotten to where I am now.

# data[].attributes.body
In this picture I have the Nigerian flag hanging in my dorm. I feel that the Nigerian flag is one of the best representations of my ethnicity.  I say this because anytime I see this flag somewhere I feel a sense of belonging. Anytime a Nigerian is represented in high positions, sports, music, fashion, receiving accolades, and much more, there is this sense of pride, happiness, and celebration. Everyone should know their country's flag so when you see it, you automatically think about your culture and feel represented.

# data[].attributes.body
It has always been a big things that runs in my family and in my culture. As a catholic at a young age you are baptized in the catholic church. Then throughout the years as a catholic you continue through your faith. This is a picture at my 1st communion. It is a very important day as a catholic and for your family. It is the day where you receive Sacrament of the Eucharist. This symbolizes my culture because i have grown up in this community for my whole life and is very important to me.

# data[].attributes.body
I chose my kitchen table as my item to represent my culture. I am Italian from both my mom and dad's side of the family, and one thing I have always been especially proud of is the strong bond Italian families share. Growing up, we always had dinner at the kitchen table - no matter what was going on, dinner was always a shared meal between my parents, my younger sister, and myself. During the holidays, the kitchen table would be extended (literally by extenders) to make room for the family members that were coming over for a holiday meal. The kitchen table was always and still is a place to talk about whatever was on your mind and even to this day at 24 years old, I still have dinner with my family every night.

# data[].attributes.body
Ankara fabric can be seen and used across many different countries and cultures within Africa. It comes in a variety of different beautiful and vibrant colors and patterns. Clothing was one of the first connections I had to my Nigerian culture. It is a very versatile fabric and can be used and worn at any time for any type of occasion. My grandmother would use the fabric and wear it as a wrapper around her waist or to tie up her hair. When my siblings and I were younger, my mother would use it to carry us on her back. However, you would see Ankara be worn more formal for special occasions like birthdays, parties, weddings, etc. This picture I have is from an art project I did last semester. I took Ankara fabric that was used to make a dress I no longer had and incorporated it into this self-portrait drawing I did. There's two parts to this drawing, but this second half is supposed to represent the connection I've grown to appreciate and have for my culture.

# data[].attributes.body
I chose this image of outside my grandma’s summer house in Rhode Island to represent my culture because my family has been spending the summer there for over 50 years. There is so much history in that house, as my grandparents built it together and have been taking my entire extended family there for many years. Growing up my sister and cousins would play together here and explore the area and the little islands on the bay. Overall, I have so many childhood memories from being there and it is such a peaceful and “in the moment” place.

# data[].attributes.body
I chose a picture of the day I got my puppy, because ever since the day I got him my life has seemed to revolve around dogs. I am always trying to find new ways to take better care of him, research the best foods for him to eat and how to train him so that he is the best dog he could ever be. Even more recently, I got a job at a dog kennel where we board and train dogs using an E-collar, and I have even dove into further researching that topic and even purchasing one for my dog to continue his training. I believe that as a female, I have the caring nature needed to really give him the best life he could possibly need to watch him thrive. I grew up always wanting a dog and so I would dog sit for neighbors, and I would walk dogs for neighbors daily too. My whole life has been surrounded by dogs and I do not see it ending anytime soon.

# data[].attributes.body
I chose the beach to represent my culture because I grew up in Florida. And my whole life was spent at the beach basically. My sisters and I would spend almost everyday there. From early morning surf rides to going there right after school to do homework and tan. I spent every second I could at the beach. Overall, everything I remember from my childhood happened at the beach.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a dish that I eat when I go visit my family in Chile and Peru. This is a sea rock snail that comes in a shell. You can only find them in water by rocks in regions of Chile and Peru. My father used to dive and would go underwater all by lung and get them out to cook. We usually eat them with a salad on the side and dip it in mayonnaise. Everytime we visit we get locos in cans and bring them back. You can also order them online. However, in recent years, they banned people from diving and getting them because they saw a huge scarcity of them. This dish reminds me of my home away from home in Chile and Peru.

# data[].attributes.body
This necklace was a gift given to me from my grandmother to show me that she will always be there even when she isn’t physically there. I don’t have the biggest family and in fact I don’t have the closest relationship to everyone In my family so the ones that I am mean a lot to me. I was raised and completely agree with the fact that blood isn’t the only thing that ties people together and that we should look out and be there for one another. My mother and grandmother both are the type of people that will help all of my friends out that are in need and I would love to follow in their footsteps and be there for my children and their friends. So like my grandmother said I hope everyone in my life knows that even if I’m not physically there, I will always be there for them. Another reason I picked this as the thing to represent me is that I tend to get myself in to situations that aren’t always the best but I always end up safe and sound so I know someone somewhere is looking out for me.