Identity

‘’You are nothing without an identity’’ Who am I? My personal definition of identity is described as the fact or reality of being what or who a person is. A person can be characterized by either his or her culture, race, interest, place of birth and background of your upbringing. Personal identity can also be seen as how people identify themselves in terms of religion and beliefs. Identity is mainly on culture and religion. Language, skin colour and how you dress also defines your identity. My passion for baking and selflessness identifies me. Your identity is who you are as a person.

My name is Cecilia Osei born in Ghana, West Africa, 28 years old. I have been in Ghana my whole life until I moved to USA a year and half now. I grew up with an extended family from grandmother to my little cousin. Growing up with these beautiful people was amazing. I come from a family of bakers; my family is into bread baking. Coming from a developing country, culture was a great deal. My upbringing is a task not involving the nuclear family but the extended in terms of health care, food, love and tenderness. I grew in an environment where only few people were educated, which was mostly men. Education was expensive; only a few people could afford it. The people in my community believed that it will be of good use to educate male than a female, because female belongs to the kitchen whilst men are the head of the family. My parents never agreed, I was enrolled in one of the best schools in the community. Tuition was expensive because my parents were not earning enough money, but they fought their way through. Being kind and not judging people are what I experienced from my childhood. During my upbringing, parents had to decide what course I have to study but now I take decisions myself about my education. My life is not much different from because I am in school studying Baking Arts to become better than my family.

This part of my essay is very intense because it describes me a lot. I am a black woman living in another country where being black is seen as a problem in society. I can never change being black although disrespect, humiliation and racism will be seen most of my daily life. I used to feel depressed anytime I faced such a thing but now I have grown tough skin and built my confidence to accept who I truly am. I am a female attracted to male. Being a straight person in society, I do not face discrimination from anyone. I grew up in a Christian home. My parents are true Christian, they are mostly concerned about living a moral life, but we never judged anyone who was not straight. My physical health is good, which I am grateful for in my life. I visit a therapist three times a year to have a deep conversation about my life which has helped with my mental health. My parents are born and bred in Ghana, West Africa so definitely I am a Ghanaian and speaks three local languages and English. Though English is not my first language, I have worked so hard to build a good standard in speaking fluently. My first part-time job in USA, I remember the employer granting the job to an American because I am new in the country and African, that is how I ended up in LWTECH attaining my associate degree in baking arts. I live with my sister and her family in a moderate and comfortable house. I am single because I have been through a lot in my past relationships, so my focus now is to build a better future for myself. A black woman living in a white country where whites have a dominant culture, I do not have many privileges like they do.

In conclusion, I believe that by understanding and embracing my identity, I can also respect and appreciate the diversity and complexity of other people’s identities. My upbringing is a key to my identity. I have also demonstrated how identity can be a source of challenge, as it can help me express myself and connect with others, but also expose me to stereotypes and discrimination. Racism is one of the main things I do face as black woman in America. I believe racist do not have respect for their own identity, because if they do out groupers like me will be respected. In this essay, I have explored how my identity has been shaped by various factors such as my family, culture, education and my upbringing. This is who I am and can never reject my identity.