Drianna Gordon

EDU 280- Individual Cultural Collage

 Ethnic and Cultural Background
FILIPINO ENGLISH GERMAN SCOTTISH CHEROKEE INDIAN

Filipino, English, German, Scottish and Cherokee Indian are the main ethnicities that make up
who I am. The two that effect my life the most is definitely Filipino and German. My Grandma
has passed down her knowledge to my mother, who is now passing it down to me. My mother
and father have both passed down German to me. My entire family lived in Germany before I
was born.
I believe my background is mostly influenced by my family who taught me. I did not experience
many cultural experiences on my own, but I did learn from them. The person I am and
traditions I continue are from them.
 Filipino and German Dishes

BIKO
A big part of my childhood and who I am today come Biko is a sweet
coconut rice.
from learning family recipes and cooking with my mom.
A "rite of passage" in my family is for each child to
ADOBO
learn who to make and wrap lumpia. I grew up watching Adobo is my all time
favorite food. Adobo
my mom make these dishes. Through patience and is pork or chicken
accuracy I learned as I got older. Passing these down to cooked all day then
served over rice.
my own children is something I am looking forward to SCHNITZEL
doing later on in life. Schnitzel is thin pork
with a lemon squeezed
over top. My family
usually serves it with
home fries.
 Cultural Traditions
Once a member of the family graduates or
gets married, you are supposed to shower
them with money. For graduation it is money
rolled into a necklace and for marriage you
stick money to their clothes.
Before you move into a new home, one
family member has to enter the house
with a witch doll and a bag of rice. The
witch is to scare of any bad spirits that
may be in the home. The rice is to bless
the family moving in.
I moved into my current home when
I was in third grade. I was with my
mom while she prepared the witch
and rice. Twelve years later, the witch
and rice remain in our home. I know
it is strange, but I feel as if our home
is safer due to this. My mom will also
prepare a witch and rice once I move
into my home.
 Who Am I?
I was born in California, but I moved to Nevada at a
young age so I consider it home. My family is my
entire world, I base my decisions on them every day. I
find family to be my biggest motivator. One of the
things I struggle with is the amount of people I have
trying to talk me out of being a teacher, but my family
is always there supporting me. The core of who I am
does not necessary mean where I am from, but who I
surround myself with. I grew up with toxic people,
some of whom where family members. In my adult
life, I have started to realize how important my well-
being is. I have cut out people who are pouring on my
fire rather than adding to it. I have spent that last year
working on my own mental health more than I ever
have, I have also realized how important self-love and
mental health are.
 Life Experiences
Being that I am only 20 years old, I do not have many life experiences to go
on. There is one experience that effected my entire family and changed all of
our lives. I lived with my sister, her husband, their son Brayden and my parents.
My sister was pregnant with their second son, Jaxon. My sister and mom go to
Reno once a year for work, but this time my sister was pregnant. She was due
in late May, and their trip was in February. The rest of us were at home, when
my mom called. My sister was being rushed into an emergency C-section. My
dad and I rushed, packing bags for my brother in law and nephew. We made it
time for them to catch the next flight out. The doctors told my family that
Jaxon would not live to make it to one year, and if he did he would never walk
or talk like any other child. That first year of his life was difficult for everyone,
but mostly for his parents. Our entire lives changed. My whole family lived in
Reno for three months while he was in the NICU. Once he was flown to Las
Vegas, I watched Brayden regularly so everyone could visit Jaxon. Here we are
four years later and I am happy to announce that Jaxon is happy and healthy. I
cannot remember life before Jaxon, he changed each of us for the better.
Goals and Values
Short and Long Term Goals Values
Short Term Goals: • Creativity

• Transfer to a University • Fairness

• Spend as much time as possible with family • Happiness

• Honesty
• Make time for hobbies
• Humor
• Take care of myself more- physically and
mentally • Love
• Respect and
Long Term Goals: Self Respect
• Become a teacher • Wisdom
• Buy a house • Inner
Harmony
• Start a family
 Cultural Artifacts
• When turning 16 years old, each member of
the family receives a solid gold necklace. This
necklace has your name on it written in
Tagalog. My Grandma is the one who gave my
mom, my sisters and I our necklaces. My mom
has a special yellow baby dress that she has
passed down to all of her daughters. We have
all taken pictures in that dress and now it has
been passed down to my niece who is the only
Granddaughter.