AMBER ARSENAULT

what makes me, me

Cultural Belonging
◦ My family fits most of the “American” norms which sounds un cultured but that is the way I grew up. We
celebrate holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and 4th of July although my favorite is Halloween. The only
language I know is English and although I wish I knew more I was never taught otherwise. I grew up in a
household without religion but one is which we were taught to respect others and treat people how you
would like to be treated. My background is half German and half French but I have never really experienced
those cultures other then my trip to Germany a few years back.
Life Experiences
◦ I suppose the greatest life experience I have had happen was when I was 19. I caused a car accident in which
three people died and I spent 3 years incarcerated. I think this experience showed me a lot of who I am as a
person and taught me what I should really care about and be thankful for. I took many things for granted and
I did a whole lot of growing because of the situation. I developed a love for drawing during my time there
and really love to read and write. I also played the flute for 8 years and really enjoyed my time in band
because it becomes like a family, the relationships you develop when you're involved. As far as education
goes, I went to cosmetology school and upon completion realized that would not be something I am happy
doing and now pursuing my secondary education degree.
Worldview
◦ I think my biggest belief and value that I hold is forgiveness. Sometimes this does not work in my favor but I
always try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I just know that there are mistakes that I made that I wish
I could somehow change or take back but I have had people forgive me for them and the hardest thing about
that is always forgiving yourself. I really like to treat others how I would like to be treated and my empathy
for people goes a long way. I have goals as a person to work on my anxiety and to really move forward and
pursue something I love. For a long time I held on to guilt and thought I was not worth being happy and I
didn’t deserve that in my life but I have really tried to work on my self love and have come an extremely long
way. My long term goal is to finish school, start teaching, and buy my first house. It is extremely important to
me to always grow and better myself because I think that life should be valued and wasting it is unacceptable.
Cultural Artifacts
◦ I think describing cultural artifacts for me is a hard thing to do because I don’t place a value on material
things. I try to better myself everyday and I would say my skills include working on my car, exceeding at my
job and in school, and painting. I really enjoy going to the movies and just cinema in general. I could sit and
watch movies all day, although I don’t because I realize that there are other things that are more productive.
My favorite thing that I value though are my relationships with my family and friends. I think to me that is
the most important thing that you can possess in life.