My family has greatly influenced the person that I have become today. The beliefs and values that I learned throughout my childhood came from my family. We have always been very close, and spend as much time together as we can. We show affection towards each other through hugs and kisses, and saying that we love each other.
This is a picture of my mother, step-father, sisters & their spouses, step-sister & step-brother with their spouses, me, my husband & son, and all of my nieces and nephews at one of our family gatherings.

The social experiences that I had growing up influenced me, as well. My social groups consisted of friends that were the same race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status as myself.

Education has always been very important in my family. Growing up, there was not ever a question of whether or not my sisters and I were going to college. My father did not finish college, and worked very hard to support our family as a police officer. He always wanted more for my sisters and I. My mother began college after staying home with my sisters and I during our early childhood. She worked very hard, and eventually completed her PhD in Educational Psychology. I believe that this has greatly effected my desire to complete my masters degree, as well as my aspirations to become a school counselor.

My Christianity has been a very influential part of my life. The values, and beliefs that I hold today, I learned from attending church growing up. My family attended church, and participated in church events several days per week. My grandfather was a baptist minister, and my father a deacon. During my childhood, I many of my social experiences took place at church, as well.

My grandparents on both sides of my family impacted my culture. Growing up, we spent a large amount of time with my grandparents. We even lived with them while we built one of our houses. They told me stories about my ancestors and where my family came from. My grandmother on my father's side told me that her ancestors were the Cherokee Indians from the Smokey Mountains. My grandparents on my mother's side would tell me stories about how their family immigrated from Ireland and England. They and most likely my ancestors before them were responsible for creating the traditions that my family still celebrates today. They are no longer living, but when my grandmother on my father's side could no longer care for herself, she moved in with us and we took care of her. Being there for family during times of need is very important to my family.
This is a picture of my grandparents on my mother's side.

I grew up in Longview, TX and lived there until I graduated from high school. I moved to Nacogdoches, TX, which is where I lived until I graduated from college. East Texas culture was mainly all that I knew until I was 22 years old when I moved to Hawaii, and then later to New Jersey. My family has always lived close to each other and spending time together is very important. I lived far away from my family for about four years, and it was very hard on me. Even though it was exciting getting to live somewhere completely different from the culture that I grew up, I was very happy when I got to move back to East Texas.

Food has influenced my culture, as well. Being from the south, I grew up eating barbeque, hamburgers, fried chicken, and many of the traditional foods associated with this region. During the holidays, we made traditional dishes such as turkey, dressing, and green bean casserole. My grandmother taught me how to cook many traditional southern recipes that I still enjoy making today for my family.

In my family, it has always been important to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and accomplishments together. We will use pretty much any excuse to get the whole family together. My mother and step-father have a house on the lake with enough room for all of the children and grandchildren to stay when we come to visit. We swim, go on boat rides, drive the golf cart, play games, cook, eat, visit, and make great memories.
This is a picture of my son, and some of my nieces, and nephews playing at the lake for the 4th of July.

During my childhood, my father influenced some of my attitudes about other cultures and races in negative ways. He was a police officer, and he saw people doing bad things everyday. His career caused him to develop racist attitudes that he often would talk about in front of my sisters and I. My mother was the exact opposite. She taught us to see the good in others and love everyone no matter what. My mother has had a greater influence on my feelings about about people of different races and ethnicity. These experiences have influenced my educational and career path.

The TV and movies that I watched, and the music that I listened to growing up have influenced how I perceive people from other social, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. It has also influenced my feelings about people of different genders, classes and sexual orientations. If anything, it opened my eyes to many issues that knew nothing about growing up in a small, rural area.