Nellie Agadzhanova

Honors 100
October 17th, 2022

Identity Reflection

My identity does not feel like it has changed much over the past few years. While this is
true, I have begun to find the importance of identity to change how I think of it. The identity that
has always been most interesting to me is my ethnicity. I am an Armenian, specifically the first
generation in my family to be born in the United States. This particular identity has become more
important to me as I continue to grow because it makes me question what it means to be an
Armenian during a time when the country is ravaged by war. This also makes me wonder if I am
considered Middle Eastern or European, or both? Is the answer in my religion or cultural
traditions? The further I engage within this topic, the more I wonder about the importance of
understanding the history behind my identity. Another important part of who I am is my gender.
Being a woman in the 21st century means many different things, but most importantly, I believe
that it gives me the strength to pursue my dreams without paying attention to the expectations of
society. The pressures of beauty, character, and other social beliefs are still quite adamant in
today's world, and so I believe that my role as a woman is to stay true to myself.
For part 2, my list of people shared one important similarity, their ambition and important
notions of self-worth. For instance, my favorite actresses are Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock,
and the author of my favorite book is Louisa May Alcott. All of these women are successful in
their own right, and were able to go against societal expectations to pursue their dreams. An
identity that I do not engage with as much as others is physical/mental ability. I am grateful to be
able bodied, but with that, there are rarely times where I will actually recognize this part of my
identity.
I hope to gain a better understanding of my Armenian heritage by joining a community of
people who share this both on and off campus. The Armenian Student Association at the
University of Washington is a RSO that I plan to participate in this year. This assignment brought
me to think about my current position in life, and look at how each aspect of my identity has led
me to be who I am today. Many of the decisions that I make are predispositions of things that are
both in my nature and a part of my surroundings growing up. I believe that positionality impacts
many aspects of a person’s life, including their experience in college. Depending on each part of
a person’s identity, they will have a different path through college. I do not believe that
positionality can make one person’s college experience better than another, but it can make it
easier or harder. Positionality can change the way I understand some course material or
experiences, which is why learning is unique to everyone.