Personal Essay Cover Sheet

Student name (first, last): Jasmine Draper

Student email: jasminedraper2210@gmail.com

Grade: 12 School:​ ​Academy for Math, Engineering and Science

Are you submitting this essay as part of a class assignment? If yes, list the name of your
teacher and class: No

Class:

Parent/Guardian name (first, last): Soraia Fagundes Draper

Parent/Guardian phone number: (801)864-8072

Parent/Guardian email: soraiafagundes@gmail.com

Principal name: Brett Wilson

Principal email: bwilson@ames-slc.org

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essay)
 Finding Myself

Growing up, I was in a multicultural household with an American father and Brazilian

mother. My father struggled with two jobs supporting the family financially, but it was my

mother that raised my sister and me. Every morning began the same: my mother’s incessant

cleaning of the house while she danced along to the Bossa Nova that would shake the house. She

taught me how to make my favorite Brazilian dishes while sharing stories of her childhood in

Brazil. Being brought up in this culture, as well as the language at a very young age has pushed

me to immerse myself in my mother’s ethnicity and cultural heritage which is a large part of my

identity. However, certain labels have stripped the pride I once felt towards such backgrounds.

I went to an elementary school with a predominantly white student body, at this time I

was too young to realize I was raised significantly different than they were. This was made clear

when I would be made fun of for speaking a language that others didn't understand. My peers

forced me to realize the difference between being white and brown. Derogatory jokes and slurs

would be made about my family and I such as: crossing the border, speak to me in Spanish, and

jokingly call me racial slurs, etc. I never understood that the problem was them, but thought it

was something wrong with my identity. I grew ashamed of my mother and our culture, her skin

color and accent would embarrass me and I began to attend school and social events with my

father, in hopes that people would think I was white. When I dismissed my Brazilian side, I

noticed people treated me with more respect, and realized my intelligence and capabilities. As I

grew older I really struggled with my identity; I wasn’t sure who I wanted to be. I’ve always had

an inner turmoil on the idea of being biracial, it seems as if I must always fit either mold but

never the two combined. Not being able to take pride in my culture took away from my identity
and stifled my association for my mother’s heritage. I started high school at the Academy for

Math, Engineering and Science (AMES), which has a very diverse student body. It gave me a

chance to unapologetically be who I wanted to be and meet people with my same values and

interests. People of different ethnicities, economic classes, sexual orientations, etc. are seen as

brave and capable, rather than unintelligent and lazy. Becoming friends with people of different

backgrounds has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I can now appreciate all

the beautiful aspects of my Brazilian culture, but also appreciate the privileges I have received

for being half white. Attending AMES has allowed me to finally feel proud of my heritage and

ethnicity. Learning about other people’s backgrounds opened up my mind and educated me in

many different aspects.