Running Head: KEEPING THE FAITH: MY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE

Keeping the Faith: My Unique Perspective

Mindy Venners
Northern Illinois University

KEEPING THE FAITH: MY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE

Life does not always happen the way we plan, but my experiences have not only taught
me more than I ever imagined, but I was lucky to gain a strong cultural awareness from an early
age. Often times, individuals do not have the opportunity to learn about other cultures when they
are young due to socioeconomic status or a sheltered upbringing. I grew up in a neighborhood
that was diverse because we all had similar resources, and I did not experience the typical
segregation that may exist in more privileged environments.
I was born in Portland Oregon on August 4 th, 1979. My mother was a Sycamore, Illinois
native who had moved to Hawaii years before to be a nanny for a family she had discovered in
the newspaper. She spent five and a half amazing years in Hawaii and decided to move to the
west coast for a relationship she had started there. After the relationship faded, she eventually
met my father. My father was from Latvian descent, having been born in a concentration camp
in the country of Latvia, which was part of the old Soviet Union. Before the Soviet Union
became free, my father, as well as his mother, father, and grandmother traveled by boat to the
United States. They decided on the state of Washington as their new residence. My mothers
heritage was quite a bit different, with a combination of Swedish, Dutch, German and Irish in her
blood which made an interesting cultural make up for my brother and me. My brother Mitch, my
only sibling, is eighteen months younger than myself.
When I was born, my family lived in a modest ranch style home, and my parents owned
seven submarine sandwich shops located in Oregon and Washington for their occupations.
Gradually the stress of running the business took a toll on my father, and he discovered a love for
gambling and the night life. Once he became abusive to my mother, she decided that raising us

KEEPING THE FAITH: MY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE

on her own would be more advantageous to us than the risk of witnessing a toxic partnership.
She packed up as much as she could, and we jumped on a plane to Dekalb, moving us closer to
her side of the family to have a support system available. The path my life took from here is
something that I will forever feel indebted to my mom and grandparents for, and has given me
the positive outlook that I inherently have to this day.
My mother moved us into University Village, located here in Dekalb close to the
Northern Illinois University campus. It was a government subsidized housing facility, which
allowed us to pay rent based on my moms income. She began working at NIU full time, while
also waitressing in the evenings. We had a very tight budget, but shopped at discount food stores
or second hand shops to buy the things we needed to survive. My mom used to tell us that she
was too proud to file for food stamps because she believed in working hard and earning what we
had.

Sometimes I look back and think that maybe if my mother would have used those

resources, she may have had a less stressful existence as a single parent, but on the other hand, I
thoroughly respect her choice to teach us the work ethic that my brother and I have gained.
Our neighborhood was very diverse, both culturally and economically. We made friends
with many of our surrounding neighbors who helped babysit me and my brother. Through
spending time with families of different cultural backgrounds, we got the chance to become
aware and appreciative of various beliefs and values. We were able to understand similarities
and differences between other people because everyone had interesting stories even though many
of our circumstances were the same. Spending numerous years in day care and after-school
programs also increased our exposure to diversity which proved to be very beneficial to us. We

KEEPING THE FAITH: MY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE

were raised alongside children from numerous cultures so we had a uniquely unbiased
perspective.
We also had wonderful grandparents and great-grandparents to provide extra care to us
when my mom was working. We were baptized Methodist which taught us about religion. Our
family made sure to back up our religious teachings with prayers before bed and at the dinner
table. From a very young age, I had a strong belief in God. I felt that if I was fortunate to have
such an amazing upbringing and family even though we lived close to poverty level, something
higher must exist and be blessing us every day. One thing that I will always remember is the
motto my mother carried regarding putting others before ourselves. She made sure we had the
necessities we required, even if it meant sacrificing her own. This overly giving mentality has
stayed with me throughout the years, sometimes to a fault, but my mothers strength and humble
heart has convinced me that there are truly angels on earth.
I am the first person in my immediate family to obtain an undergraduate degree, and the
very first in my extended family to pursue a graduate degree.

My brother is extremely

intelligent, but has decided on manual labor for his career path for the time being. I made the
decision for higher education after watching my mom work so hard her whole life. I decided that
I would always strive to work as hard as her, while trying to find smoother ways of
accomplishing larger things. The support she gives me daily is a constant reminder of how proud
she is of my endeavors.
I decided to attend Northern Illinois University for my undergraduate degree, partly due
to the fact that it was half-priced tuition since my mom was an employee of the school. I had

KEEPING THE FAITH: MY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE

very good grades in high school, but learned a quick lesson when I discovered the amount of
self-direction required to succeed on campus. I made friends quickly, not very surprising since I
am a people-person, but I definitely faced some stereotypes from the people I met from larger
cities. I met other students on my dorm floor from Chicago and Oak Park, that I clicked with
almost instantly. It was pretty awakening though when their first impression of me was that I
was a preppy, rich girl from the suburbs. They could not comprehend that I actually grew up
in government subsidized housing with only ten dollars a week available for our family food
budget. It is amazing how looks can be so deceiving based on the prior misconceptions
individuals from different cultures might have.
I have such a deep appreciation for diversity in my life, not only because of the exposure
I received as a child, but the various jobs I have had allowed me to embrace and admire cultural
personality traits of others.

My position here at NIU gives me the opportunity to bring

awareness to issues between college students, as well as educate through my own personal
experiences when I have the chance to communicate with people on campus. My hope is that
with further communication of peoples life stories, the idea of diversity will become something
that is sacred and all-inclusive, rather than something that seems to provoke separation in the
eyes of culturally blind individuals.