One of the factors that makes up my identity is ethnicity. I am a son of two Vietnamese parents. Being Viet has affected my life because I had to follow the tradition and the food that I eat. It wasn't difficult to be Viet because there was also people that were Viet. I felt good being Viet until I started to play soccer. When I started to play soccer I was in a team that spoke English, and then my friend invited me to a soccer team. The problem was that they only spoke Spanish. Being Viet started to affect me in a negative way but I started to get use to Spanish and try to learn some. I learned to appreciate who I am and my identity. Another factor that makes up my identity is my interest in soccer. Before the virus I played soccer matches every weekend and play with most of my friends. Playing soccer has affected my life because I made a lot of new friends and learned a lot about the Hispanic culture. I also got to meet some professional soccer players and see professional soccer games. This has also made me more passionate about soccer, and wanting to become a professional soccer player. I hope I can get back on the field and start playing matches again. Also the picture below is me and my friend with a professional soccer player.

One factor that makes up my identity is my ethnicity! My parents are both 100% Indian! My parents both grew up in India, and my mother moved to Los Angeles, California at the age of 8. She had a rough childhood. She was never allowed to go anywhere besides school. She never went to sleepovers, parties, dances, or to visit her friends! She grew up in a neighborhood with gangs, ruffians, and mobsters. My father moved to Los Angeles, California alongside my mother once they were married. Similar to the way Ms. Wi mentioned the show, “Indian Matchmaking,” my parents had an arranged marriage. Being Indian has affected many parts of my life such as the foods I eat/am allowed to eat, the way I dress on occasions, the things I believe in, the language I speak, the way I look, and many more! At my old school, there were these 2 Indian boys that made it seem like being Indian was a bad thing. The way they acted allowed our classmates to make fun of us. They assumed that Indians are poor, we have to be smart, we are filthy, we live in houses made of trash, and we have horrid accents. This actually made my Indians friends and I very, very angry. We actually entered a contest about podcasts, and made one about why bullying, racism, and making fun of people is not okay! We won! I think that people are quick to judge a group of people because of the way one person behaves. No, we don’t all have accents (I actually think accents are fun☺️), we don’t eat gross or smelly foods, etc. People have also been quick to judge that I am adopted because I may not look Indian because of my fair skin color, or that I am Mexican or Spanish because i can speak Spanish pretty well. Overall, my ethnicity is a big part of who I am, and I am very proud of it!

Another factor that makes up my identity is my passion for dance! I have been dancing since I was 4 (it's been 10 years!), and honestly cannot think of a passion for something stronger than dance! I have learned multiple styles of dance, and I cannot wait to continue my dance journey here at Portola High! I have taken 2 forms of cultural dance (related to my ethnicity) for many many years, and my family catches me dancing while walking, eating, or even brushing my teeth almost DAILY! I really love to dance, and I am actually pretty good at it! Dance has made my life very fun, busy, and bright! I am so glad that my mother pushed me to dance at a young age! She is the reason that I am at where I am today! Thank you!