My Cultural Identity

• My Cultural Identity

I define my culture as common but unique.  I grew up in a strict Irish Catholic family, wearing thrift shop clothes and uniforms until I graduated from high school.  My parents pushed me to be independent but controlled everything, from who my friends were to where I was allowed to go to College; I was only able to go to a community college, not Vermont, where my heart was.  I wanted to ski and become a teacher.  My parents did not support skiing as a career, I understand that.  However, being a teacher was not something I was able to articulate when I was young.  I was very quiet and unsure of myself.  My parents did not know I wanted to be a teacher.  I ended up in secretarial school after I dropped out of college, which is something I had to do because my sister did it.  I needed to get a job - not a career.  My brothers were encouraged and allowed to go to college.  My dad wanted to pay for their college educations and me and my sister's weddings.  That's just the way it was; my parents did not know any better.  This is what they knew and what they wanted to provide for us.In support of my parents, however, they did what was best for me and my siblings and worked very hard to provide for us.  I will be eternally grateful for all of their hard work and dedication to our family.  My parents taught me that family is important and that our Irish family heritage is forever.  I have made several trips to Ireland and absolutely adore the Irish people.  The Irish people are warm, welcoming and hard workers.  Irish music and dance are at the heart of our culture.   

Growing up in this environment did allow me to become very fond of my Irish roots, however, we were constantly exposed to our Irish heritage, traditions, culture (Irish music and dance), stories - oh the Irish are great storytellers.  This upbringing did not, however, allow me to fully discover myself until I began working in an academic institution 21 years ago.  I always LOVED school.  It is ironic that I have been blessed to work in higher education. Through this journey, my identity has been transformed into something I am very proud of.  I have had the opportunities to become well-versed and indoctrinated into many cultures of the world.  However, I am still unsure of myself when I speak.

At work, I hold a very important position so I am serious but sometimes funny.  I have learned and am still learning how to articulate what I want to say.  This has been a struggle for me my whole life.  While I am smart, I have trouble saying what I mean and getting my point across.  People at work might think I am a pushover, since I speak only when I am certain and sometimes speak when I should not just to include myself in a conversation.  People identify me as a hard worker and someone who can get the job done and done well.  I do need to slow down somehow so I can plan more, which is critical in my new role as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for Digital and Internal Communications.

When I am with friends, I am casual and fun, but because I work so much, I have little to contribute with friends who don't work or have much more money than me.  This is very common.  However, my friends are Jewish, Catholic, Irish, Italian, gay, black, etc.  We do embrace each other's differences.

Celebrating cultural diversity at work should be considered a cautious exercise.  Cultural diversity should be embraced and be a part of a formal diversity training program.  I think you can joke around with friends who are culturally diverse but at work, that would not be acceptable.  We must be sensitive to others' cultures and acceptable norms.