My Cultures and Micro-cultures

Gemma Mangino
Motto: “Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever.”-Walt Disney

Cultural Heritage/Ethnicity

My parents were both born in the United States, but carry different heritages. My father is
an Italian American, and my mother is a Filipino American. Both parents grew up as Americans,
but carried over some heritage traditions. For example, food and holiday traditions played a huge
role in my family. During holidays, there was always a vast variety of foods and drinks. On the
Italian side, there would usually be a variety of salty and spicy foods to choose from, verses on
the Filipino side there would be salty and sweet foods. Other traditions that was carried over
were different dances and games. I grew up as an American, but learned about my heritage
through our holidays and different traditions.

Family Structure/Socioeconomics

Growing up I lived a comfortable childhood. My family lived in the upper middle class
ranking, so we were very fortunate and blessed with our living style. I was given the opportunity
to try many different things growing up. For example, I did girl scouts, a variety of sports, and
clubs. As children, my sister and I were showered with gifts and were always thankful for what
we were given. My father worked as a white collar, so he made sure our family was well cared
for.

Faith/Religion

Both of my parents are Catholic. I grew up going to a Catholic Church every Sunday
morning. We celebrated the birth of Christ during Christmas, and celebrated his resurrection
during Easter. My family and I are strong believers of God, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, and
Virgin Mary. We may be Catholic, but we do acknowledge and respect that people believe in
different religions. During my time at church I attended many classes as a child to obtain
communion at the age of seven.

Education

For my education I had moved to different locations during my high school years. I was
able to experience what learning was like in Illinois, France, and Nevada. All three schools
taught differently. I had enjoyed the opportunity to interact with people from all over the world,
and discover new ways of learning. I’m currently in my second semester at College of Southern
Nevada, and majoring in Early Childhood Education. I plan to become an elementary teacher
after I’ve earned my bachelor’s degree.