CULTURAL

COLLAGE
Gabrielle Medina - EDU 280
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My parents come from
Cavite and Caloocan,
Philippines, but moved
here to Las Vegas, NV and
started their family here.
I was born and raised here in Las Vegas, Nevada, and
have lived here my entire life. My parents never forced
their Filipino culture onto my siblings and I, instead
integrated values, beliefs, and foods into our daily lives
and experiences. One thing that I was taught growing up
that would describe where I come from most accurately, is
to always eat ALL your food. I could not leave the dinner
table until every single grain of rice, meat, or vegetable
was consumed. This mindset has stuck with me all my life
without question, because where my family comes from,
not eating all your food is wasteful and disrespectful to
whomever cooked it. Food is an important aspect in our
culture, like all cultures. Some of my favorite traditional
Filipino dishes include Sinigang, which is a sour tasting
stew usually made with pork and a variety of vegetables,
and Adobo Sitaw, which is a soy sauce-based stew made
with pork or beef. Also traditionally, Filipinos mostly eat
with their hand instead of utensils, however, I’ve grown
out of that tradition from living in the suburban
environment.
■ Another important aspect of Filipino culture is family
orientation. I am 19 years old and I still live with my
parents, because the idea of me leaving the house is not
only unacceptable in my parent’s mind but looked down
upon. It is expected in our culture for children to take
care of their parents when they get to an age where they
cannot anymore. My parents still follow this very
traditional mindset, and while I do not see myself staying
with them forever, I do try and give back to my them as
much as I can before I do decide to leave the house.
■ Living in Las Vegas also contributes to my culture.
According to the Nevada Census, about 6% of the
Nevadan population is Asian, and yet I seem to find
myself surrounded by only Asian people most of the
time. Not by unconscious bias of myself, but from the
unconscious bias of my parents, who moved into an
area that is heavily populated by Asian/Non-white
people. I am constantly interacting with other Asian or
Filipino people daily and can stick to my traditions and
mannerism more easily because of this. Many of my
friends in high school were Filipino, some of my peers
and teachers, my coworkers and managers are Asian;
the list goes on and on. I was never afraid to be able to
show my culture or express my cultural background with
other people because I knew that in some way they
could relate, or at least be able to make conversation.
LIFE EXPERIENCES
LIFE EXPERIENCES
 On the first day of my
senior year, I got into
my first car accident.
I remember the day of my car accident incredibly vividly.
I was hit on my rear driver’s side and spun out in the
middle of the road. It being the first day of school didn’t
help either, because I had an audience. Since that day I
vowed to be the safest driver I could be, but even with
that kind of vow to myself, there’s always the fear of
other drivers being reckless. I was afraid to drive by
myself for a while after that day, and about a year later, I
unfortunately had my second car accident. This
accident occurred on the I-15, when a driver rear-ended
me amid a traffic jam trying to merge. This accident
encouraged me to get a lawyer’s help, because the back
and neck pains I experienced after that day caused me
too much drama to go unnoticed. Each time I get home
after driving, I am grateful to be in one piece, my car
and all. Driving used to be a task that I did not enjoy, but
after investing in a new car, and understanding my
financial capabilities, I treat my car with my life and
cherish each moment that I am alive and capable of
driving. These days I choose to be in the driver’s seat to
ensure the safety of my friends and family.
Speaking of senior year, I attribute much of my personality, skills
and knowledge to the high school I went to: Southwest Career and
Technical Academy (SW). Going to SW taught me a lot about the
people that I would encounter in my life, both good and bad. I was
able to express the musical talents I’ve taught myself over the
years there, met my lifelong friends, and learned about the skills I
needed to become successful in the workforce. For example, I was
able to pick up skills in professionalism, like communication,
management, and teamwork/collaboration. These have benefited
me greatly in the workforce and am lucky to have been able to go
to a school that focused on teaching me these skills. I also met
two of my lifelong friends at that very school. It makes me happy
to think about the time we had during high school, and ecstatic
about the adventures we will have together moving forward. We
already have big plans for traveling together and moving in once
we have the financial means.
I feel that I don’t have many life experiences to refer to into my life,
because I have been working full time and been a full-time
student since I was 16 years old, and in doing this I feel I haven’t
been able to have some of the same experiences as a normal
teenager. This is all on the fault of myself, of course, because I
became obsessed with the idea of making it on my own at a young
age and have been working towards that goal since I got my first
job. I do wish I could take a long break and just relax somewhere
along the beach, but then I am taken over again by the idea that I
must continue to work before I can do that. My jobs have taken
over my life, but I am grateful for the income I am able to make
because of them.
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I believe in science, social
justice, and the pursuit of
happiness.
As a student living in the 21st century, I have begun to reject
beliefs that my parents taught me as a child. While they
didn’t force any type of religion on me, they did follow Roman
Catholic ideas and beliefs, and integrated it into the daily
lives of my siblings and me. After taking a philosophy class
and several other science classes, I have chosen to follow
ideas of science rather than faith. For example, I believe in
ideas such as evolution, rather than creation, and that
human nature is based on experiences and influences, not
determined by the path of God. Since I was a kid, I never
really understood why people followed ideas of faith,
because in my mind, I was just praying to the dust bunnies
next to my bed, and not a God. I’ve learned that faith helps
people have hope and put reason to why things are the way
they are when there’s no true answer. For myself, I always
look for logical or science explanations, rather than turning
to ideas of the supernatural or higher power, but I do not
judge or question those who do follow any kind of religion or
certain beliefs. I respect others, for that matter, because I
believe that people should do what makes them happy, as
long as it isn’t hurting anybody.
On the matter of not judging people based on their beliefs or values, I
also believe in not judging people based on the color of their skin. I
have seen too many times in the media, an innocent black life being
taken away for almost no real reason. Breonna Taylor, a 26-year old
unarmed black woman, whose life was taken by the hands of the
police after being shot in her home 5 times during a no-knock search
warrant. Elijah McClain, a 23-year old black man who died in the
hands of police after being reported looking “sketchy.” These are just
2 out of the hundreds of Black lives that have been taken away too
soon because they were treated with hatred and disrespect. The
attitudes surround people of any color are attitudes that need to
change in the eyes of society. I believe in fighting for justice on all
matters, especially on the matter of racism, unfairness, and
inequality towards Black citizens and other people of color. I have
experienced racism myself; at school, in the workforce, and even just
going to the grocery store. I hate the feeling of being stereotyped, just
like anyone would, so I stand with those who have lost their lives
because of it.
On a happier note, I also believe in the pursuit of happiness. For
myself, I’ve made it a goal of mine to only do things that make me
happy or will take me to happiness. For example, as I said in my
previous slide, I’ve been working hard since I was 16 years old, and
in doing so I have been able to save money which I plan on investing
in a home built specifically to what I like. It has always been a dream
of mine to build my own home and I am getting closer and closer to
that goal. I believe that people should do whatever makes them
happy, if it isn’t hurting anybody or is illegal (of course). I feel that
constant negativity is what weakens the heart and mind and
contributes to all the mean and hateful people in the world. Through
happiness, people can spread it, which overall leads to a better
quality of life.
CULTURAL ARTIFACTS
CULTURAL ARTIFACTS
Outside of school and work,
one of my favorite things to
do is take and edit photos.
I was able to take one semester of Photography in high
school (by chance), and I fell in love with the activity and
photo editing. What I like to do the most and what I’m most
skilled in, is taking a photo and making it look “vintage” or
“old”. This is my favorite style and can be seen in my
previous slide. The nostalgic feelings that I get from creating
a vintage photo is what drives me to create more.
Another hobby of mine that I picked up is playing the viola.
While not a very cool instrument, I do love
classical/orchestral music. I learned a lot about music
theory in high school, which made me fall even more in love
with the instrument. What really did it for me was my
orchestra teacher, Ms. Salehi. She was so passionate and
driven to teach our class about music and it was so aspiring.
Her methods are another reason to why I decided to pursue
a career in education. Other instruments that I play include
the ukulele and the acoustic guitar. I am not as skilled in
playing these instruments as I am the viola because I taught
myself how to play those instruments. I know mostly basic
chords and a few songs here and there, but not any music
theory or things that I should know if I was professionally
taught those instruments.
Another hobby of mine that truly represents who I am is
discovering and watching new movies. I love all types of
movies: action, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, romance,
comedy, thrillers, you name it. I’ve always been a strong
movie-goer because of my parents, who always took my
siblings and I out to the movies when we were younger. As I
grew up, I would do the same and go out to the theaters
the day a new movie came out. There’s something about
sitting in that dark and quiet theater and being able to
immerse yourself into a story that comes to life right before
your eyes.
I have created a few short little movies myself in the past,
but they are nothing compared to the ones I see on the big
screen (because I don’t have millions of dollars for
production). Instead of creating movies though, I do like to
imitate ideas from my favorite films and invent my own little
story, usually away from public eyes and ears. I love
creating little stories for myself, it helps to get myself in a
creative mindset, which overall makes my life more fun and
fulfilling.