My Development Of An Identity Struggle In Middle School

Development of an Identity

I have always been told to “stay true to who you are”, regardless of what other people say. It is difficult, however, to do this when there is a feeling of rejection and disapproval following you. Even in this society, people who are seen as “different” are treated differently because they have something unique about them that society does not possess. I have faced this identity struggle in middle school and even through high school because of some of my different cultural beliefs. The struggle to balance being my true self and being someone who is accepted by my respective community has been difficult, but I have learned that sometimes it is okay to sacrifice acceptance to get to a better place in life. By experiencing conformity struggle, I have come to acknowledge that I will be different, but this dissimilarity is providing hope for a better future.

As the daughter of Nigerian immigrants, I have always heard the word “weird”. Throughout school I was teased mercilessly because of my last name, my parent’s accents, and the food I ate. I was even distrusted by some because in the eyes of someone who did not have another culture, I was different. Sometimes for lunch I ate cultural foods such like moi moi and suya, food that looked unusual or disgusting to the American eye. I was even teased by fellow Nigerians for this. The people I thought actually had a culture. As a result, I never knew if to be proud of my culture or to just reject it because it was what everyone else