Cultural Autobiography

• Age: 19
• Gender: Female
• Religion: Islam
• Socioeconomic Status: Middle class
• Parental Status: Mother, Father
• Marriage Status: Married
• Sexual Orientation: Straight
• Education Level: College and continuing
• Experience and Environment: fun, quirky, diverse
• Where were you born: Jersey City, New Jersey
• Where did you grow up: East Orange, New Jersey
• Who was in your immediate family/household: my parents, brothers, and sisters
• What activities were you involved in as a child: iceskating, coloring, basketball
• What activities are you involved in now: sketching, tennis, filmmaking, writing, reading, basketball, public speaking
• What physical artifacts are important to you: photographs of my family, my butterfly necklace, my laptop, and my grandfather's authentic uniform from the Nation of Islam
• What is your native language: English
• When did you learn to read: When I was about 4 or 5 years old
•  How would you define success: Stay true to your Deen and success will ease through
• What was the most significant moment in your life: The most significant moment in my life was receiving the annual Youth of the Year Award at the Eid Convention that I wanted since I was a kid.

Culture

Culture is an accustom; an identity; a belief, moral and value system where an individual or a group of people can indulge in.  Culture has many qualities but it doesn't always have to refer to one person.  Culture can be the tradition of a country or the belief and law system of a government.  Everyone has their own belief and value system in which they conform and connect to particular social, religious, age, or ethnic groups.  There are many other groups that connects people to a certain culture.  When there is culture, there is familiarity within it.  People familiarize themselves with what interests them, the experiences they live through, and what progresses their way of life.  However, with culture we initially familiarize our belief system with our connections than with our practices.  Women's modeling, for instance, is a popular interest and the image of it continues to remain stagnant in American culture.  Children like things like dolls and fixing their dolls' clothes.  They can easily connect to what compels their belief system.  As the doll loving children grow, so does their mind.  It expands to a higher and a clearer level of what culture represents.  But if that growing child likes fashion, then it's not necessarily culture unless it is applied to their own belief, value, and moral system.  Having an interest doesn't necessarily mean that traditional customs are brought along with it.  If that interest does become an accustom, then there is something for someone to believe in.  There are things in the world that has enough quality in it that connects people to their culture.  As a child becomes an adult, so does their responsibilities and decisions in their life.  Culture can remain stagnant, but with all the knowledge and education in the world, those original adaptations might change for a child when they transition into an adult.  Their mindset adapts to more experiences, more ideas, more thoughts, more conversations, and for that, culture can become more of a connection than as a practice and a connection combined.  We let go of the dolls as we get older and we have the choice to accept change or new accustoms.  It's up to the individual to find what they want in life.  You can grow up with a culture or just recently find one where you find an understanding to your values, an essence in your morals, quality in your beliefs, comfort in your identity, and a connection and practice in your life.  What makes it so great is that you, as the individual, are the only person who can define your culture.