preview

My Stereotypes

Decent Essays

When I am in class or talking with friends, something I think goes unnoticed is my ethnicity and realities in my life outside of school. I am from Eritrea, a country in East Africa, however people do not seem to notice. When classmates I have known for years realize that I am Eritrean, let alone African, they are surprised. They say I don’t sound African because I don’t have an accent (affiliated with certain parts of Africa), nor do I look African because my skin tone is not as dark and my hair is long. It is interesting to me how they categorized all Africans to these few characteristics when it is simply not the case. The ignorance that causes people to stereotype is the reason why I wear my ethnicity proudly on my sleeve so certain people …show more content…

as refugees from a war happening at the time. As a result, my parents do not have the highest levels of education or paying jobs. My mother works in environmental services (housekeeping) at a hospital and my father is a taxi driver. They have had these jobs for as long as I can remember yet they were still able to provide a next to normal life for me and my three siblings. The things I have learned and realizations that I had because of the life-style and circumstances I lived is priceless. I would most likely have ended up in a different place physically and mentally if I were to come from money because I would not have learned the importance in everything I see, touch and do. That is why my/family’s past has so much value to …show more content…

They are astonished that someone of my background can take multiple IB courses and maintain a high GPA. The amazement and astonishment those people feel is one of the most important things to me. Reasoning is because that is the foundation for my drive to succeed. I want to prove that people who come from all backgrounds, even those that have worse standards than mine can be at the same or even higher level academically than those who would be considered more privileged. I want my situation and experiences to inspire others to break stereotypes with their own

Get Access