Cultural Identity Assignment 1

Cultural Identity Assignment

Jessica S. Gonzalez

Arizona State University

OGL 350 Diversity and Organizations (90751) - Session B

Kermit Brown

10/20/2021
Cultural Identity Assignment 2

1. Who are you?

I like to think of myself as unapologetically myself. For starters, my name is Jessica S.

Gonzalez but to my family and friends, I am Jess. I am a 28-year-old female born in a Mexican

household. My dad is an immigrant from Mexico while my mom was born and raised in

California. When I state that I am of the white race, it can become controversial or some may

assume I have privileges. However, I am of Hispanic ethnicity. Given that my dad was born in

Mexico, it may be assumed that he is here illegally. That is not the case. He and my entire family

are US citizens and have been for many decades.

2. What aspects of your identity are most important to you? In what contexts? Why?

The most important aspect of my identity is my ethnicity. I am proud to be a Hispanic

female working in the healthcare industry. I grew up in a border town and did most of my

healthcare/education in a non-diverse (mostly Hispanic) environment. When I joined the hospital

in Phoenix, AZ, I was exposed to a very diverse group and a lot of questioning regarding my

ethnic background. Because of my fair skin tone, I was told that there is no way I was

Hispanic/Mexican. In the video, AV Lesson 4: Views of Culture, stereotypes are usually broad

generalizations of a group and this is when I first experienced this kind of behavior (Views of

Culture and Cultural Values Frameworks). I believe this was the moment that I was proud of my

ethnicity because stereotypes should not define who I am nor categorize me into any group and

this is what I will instill into my future generations.

3. What aspects of your identity do you take for granted? In what contexts? Why?

The Complexity of Identity by Beverly Daniel Tatum shares that to define who we are we

must analyze what the people around us say about us and those factors will result in a product of
Cultural Identity Assignment 3

who we are (Tatum, 2015). While growing up, my parents instilled many aspects of my culture

and ethnicity in which religion plays a huge part. I believe that religion is a huge part of my

identity that I take for granted. I was raised with Catholic beliefs and it was always instilled to

bless everyone before they are about to do something. For example, instead of wishing someone

good luck, I would say “God bless you”. It’s a form of blessing to that person to do well in

whatever they are about to do. The reason I believe I take this for granted is that I never really

challenge the existence of god or challenged the idea that the phrase will actually help someone

do better.

4. How does your identity impact your interactions with others? In what contexts? Why?

At the hospital that I work at, there are a huge number of patients that are of Hispanic

descent. There is a role at this hospital that was created for bilingual (Spanish and English)

people to help with Hispanic patients that Spanish is their first language and know little-to-no

English. When these patients are initially helped by someone that is not Hispanic and/or doesn’t

know Spanish and are later helped by myself (bilingual worker) they express their gratitude

because they feel more connected and can express themselves better. This brings me joy as my

passion is to help others make their lives easier. Speaking with someone that has a similar

background to me helps bridge that gap at the hospital I work at because of the huge number of

Hispanic patients.
Cultural Identity Assignment 4

References

Views of Culture and Cultural Values Frameworks. (2021). AV Lesson 4: Views of Culture.
Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://asu.instructure.com/courses/93671/pages/module-1-a-
slash-v-presentations?module_item_id=6148305

Tatum, B. D. (2015). The complexity of identity: “who am I?” Retrieved October 19, 2021, from
http://endinjustice.gmu.edu/wp-content/blogs.dir/1600/files/2015/05/05-The-Complexity-of-
Identity-Beverly-Tatum.pdf