Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it. (Approximately 250 words)
"Deeee - lah - rah," I said as I was trying to help the substitute teacher pronounce my name. A process I have to go through almost every time I meet someone new. As a young child I hated this and always thought to myself, "Why can't my name be easy to pronounce?" I am now proud of my name and it represents who I am and the community I belong to, the Turkish community. However, this wasn't always the case for me. I've been through it all, laughed at, made fun of, and picked at for being the girl with the weird name. "Deelorah" or "Dilaria" they would say simply to upset me. I tried not to let it bother me. At home was the only time I was able to fully embrace my roots. I always speak Turkish with my family, and to me this is essential to understand your community. Growing up my father has always taught my family that we must stand up for ourselves and represent the country that we belong to. At the age of nineteen I now understand the importance of this point. Although being teased through my childhood it was hard for me to comprehend why I would want this. I wanted to be American I wanted people to look at me and say, "That girl is an America." I know understand that I am an American, but I will never stop representing the country I am from. After all these years I am proud to say that, I love my name, and I am proud to help anyone pronounce it.
