Sana Iqbal

Thomas

UWRT 1104

8 February 2017

Reflection one: This activity was rather easy for me to do because I knew from the beginning

that my parents have been my greatest influencers. Although it was easy, I had a hard time

getting my feelings into words because it is utterly impossible to describe all of the amazing

things your parents do for you in a paper, rather than showing it. At first I had a hard time

meeting the length requirement, but eventually it all came together.

Reflection two: The meetings helped me realize that I am good at telling what happened, but not

so good at describing. I need to improve on creating imagery in my writing style. After reading

my paper with more descriptions involved, I realize what a big difference it makes in the paper.

External Influences

My personality is a direct reflection of both of my parents. I get my large sense of humor

from my father, who taught me that jokes can get me through the toughest of times. I am

sensitive and fragile from my mother, who is ultimately the most caring and loving person I have

ever known. I am silly and playful because both of my parents, who raised me to know that being

serious all the time is not the way to live a happy life. My personality can directly be traced back

to my parents and their methods of raising me because they have influenced the person I am

today entirely.

My father, Tanveer, who has dark brown, almost black hair and is 6 feet tall was born and

raised in Karachi, Pakistan, has a different point of view on life than most Americans. My

fathers background has made him a more protective, cautious and conservative parent. He
consistently made sure he knew where I was, who I was with and what time I would be home.

Ive always had a strict curfew and if I did not follow through, I would have consequences, such

as not being able to go out as much and having to be home earlier. Poverty levels in Pakistan are

very high, this made my father determined to come to America with high hopes for his new life,

he did this by working on a boat to come to America. As he was creating this new life for

himself, he met my mother at a local Burger King, where my mom worked when she was not in

school. His hard work and effort directly shows when he is able to provide me and my family

with anything we need and much more. Therefore, he has pushed for my siblings and I to excel

in grade school and college, so that we do not have to face those struggles to provide like he did

in his past. My father influenced my drive and determination for success. This success was

reflected in my past when I graduated in the top ten percentage of my class in High School and

got into the business program here at UNC Charlotte.

My mother, Shazia, who has bleach blonde hair and is 411 is from Trinity, North

Carolina and is the complete opposite of my father. She is an independent, southern woman who

is the problem solver. She was one of five children, therefore she knew that if she wanted

something to get done, she had to do it on her own. My mom influenced me to become the

independent woman I am today. She taught me that if you want to get something done, you have

to do it on your own. This is a reflection of my personality because I rely on solely myself

because I am the only person I can count on.

Both of my parents, coming from large families themselves, have taught me to cherish

family. This includes my parents, siblings, cousins and grandparents because in the end family is

all you have. Now, when I come home I make sure to pay a visit to all of my family members

because not only is it the right thing to do, but it is what I was raised to do. Although me and my
siblings fuss and fight, we make up and cherish each other because our parents raised us to love,

not hate.

For the first eighteen years of my life, I grew up in a household with my parents, and for

several of those years, with my two older sisters and brother. My household was filled with

memories of utter joy, anger, and bittersweet moments. Although we moved several times in my

childhood, my parents always made sure that each house was home and that their children were

happy. Regardless of the location my parents were always there to teach, influence, and raise me

and my siblings in hopes for us to have a bright future.

Growing up as the youngest child made the stereotypical effect on me to be the spoiled

child. Both of my parents never said No, it was as if it was not part of their vocabulary.

Anything I wanted, I got without hesitation. Although this may come off as bad parenting or

being considered spoiled, it was not. Now that I am older, I now have the inability to say no to

others. When an individual asks me for help, without hesitation I do the best I can because saying

no is not an option. My parents felt guilty if they ever denied me a source of happiness or help

and now I proudly carry the same trait.

Starting at a very young age, my parents made sure I knew about my religious faith. My

father constantly reminded me and my siblings that without religion, we are nothing. Every day

after school I would go and practice my faith, as well as on every Sunday. Knowing about God

and a higher power is very important to me, and my parents made sure of that. I also carry and

very unique culture. My family ensures we cherish our culture and do not forget about it by

encouraging it at home. While I am at home my parents make traditional meals such as curry and

biryani, which are my favorites. From time to time, we also wear traditional clothing, which
usually consists of fancy dresses with iridescent stones. Now that I am in college, I still remain

intact with my religious beliefs and culture.

In my household, my mother is Caucasian and my father is Pakistani, clearly meaning

that I am biracial. Growing up biracial made me different from many of my peers, especially in

the town I grew up in. Archdale is a very small town with very little diversity, which made me

feel unique. As a child, I never knew how to understand why I was the way I am, but my parents

made sure to remind me that it was a blessing and I should appreciate it. Growing up now and

being on UNCC campus makes me appreciate diversity in a whole new way. I am very accepting

of others and am intrigued by other ethnicities. It helps me realize that no two people are the

same and everyone has something special about them. My parents inspired my acceptance of

others and I am beyond thankful for that.

Many times more than not, children do not realize all their parents do in order to get them

to a successful point in their life. My parents gave up most of their free time to watch me in

sports, help me study in school, and be my personal chauffeurs when I needed them. Now they

are spending their hard earned money to allow my siblings and I to all go to college. Once I

realized everything my parents had given up for me to live the life I have. It made me realize that

one day I want to say I was able to return the favor and treat them the with the same love they

treated me. My drive for success comes from wanting to give back to my parents who gave me

their all, even if they had nothing left to give.

My parents are my greatest influencers because they are who I look up to. They are not

only my parents, but they are also my inspiration, backbone, teachers, and ultimate best friends.

They have taught me the morals I stand by and have inspired to me to be the best version of

myself. My parents are my everything and I hope to be half of the people they are one day.