Cultural Identity Map

My Abroad Experience

Personal Identity

While abroad in Ireland, I'm hoping to really explore the different cultures and perspectives. I think this exploration can really help broaden my cultural identity. Even through the limited traveling I've done here so far, I've managed to learn so much about myself and the people around me.

Cultural Identity

My family has taught me that hard work is one of the most important things in life. They always have told me that the outcome isn't important, but rather the effort you put into it to achieve such outcome. They have always supported my ambitions, even when I decided not to become a doctor. Now, I'm pursuing a career in health policy and bioethics in order to help bridge the gap in health outcomes. I'm hoping that my work will allow me to address racial and ethnic health disparities.

Growing up in the Midwest has given me a very interesting perspective of culture. It exhibits influences from across the country, but I still find my experiences to have been limited. When I started going to school in the South, I began to realize how little I knew about other places and cultures, even those in the U.S. That said, it allowed me to better understand my identity as one characterized by my upbringing in Chicago. I have not traveled widely outside of America, so my cultural identity is somewhat one-dimensional in that sense.

Cultural Identity Map

Sophie Mouros

Influences

Both my parents and my community have urged me to welcome diversity and cultural differences. In Chicago, you meet people from all different backgrounds, so I've always tried to embraces these differences.

My mom is Hawaiian and Korean and my dad is Greek and Polish, so I've also found it interesting trying to integrate both of their heritages into my personal identity. At school, I am the vice president of the Student Hellenic Association, which strives to provide a cultural experience for the Greek community on campus. In an attempt to also get in touch with my mom's ethnicity, I am also involved with the Pacific Islander group at Vanderbilt.

Leaving Home

Background

Chicago, IL

For me, leaving home has been extremely difficult. Although I left home to go to Vanderbilt for college, the distance here has been a challenge. I have remained very close to all my friends from my home town, and I often wish they could have come with me abroad! My town is the kind of place where many people return after college, and many never leave at all. I am constantly trying to fight the home-sickness and just enjoy being in Europe!

I'm from Oak Park, which is the closest suburb to the west of Chicago. Given our proximity to the city, we are lucky to have all the benefits of public transportation. My town actually gets two of the El lines as well as the Metra, so getting to and from the city has always been easy. It's also the home of Ernest Hemingway, and his museum is even a couple blocks from my house! The diversity of both thought and race in my town has helped me become open-minded and to respect the different perspectives of others.

Family Influences

I'm an only child with no cousins, so my family is extremely small. In some respects, it is a nice dynamic because it has allowed me to be close to my aunts, uncles, and grandparents. My parents are divorced, and have been since I was 5 years old. I think of myself as lucky because my parents are still best friends, and we do a lot of activities just the three of us. They are my two favorite people in the world, and they make leaving home really challenging! They have taught me to make the most of all of the opportunities I'm given because I know how hard they both work to give me the life I have.