My American Creed

Both my parents come from very different backgrounds. My dad grew up near Dayton, Ohio and lived there his whole life till he went off to college. My mom, on the other hand, was born in Germany, moved to Italy then finally came to the US as a child living in Champagne, Illinois. But there is more to the story than just that. I believe my parents show two different values of the American people because we are not all the same.

My fathers ancestry had been in Ohio for a long time in the same area. They were usually farmers and had many children, the well known hard working rustic American value family. My dad’s side lived through hardship; they were mainly poor and had to survive the Great Depression. By the time my dad was born this was over, but they still did not grow up luxuriously. My dad worked very hard in school and was a multi varsity athlete, this was his way out. In a small town like where he grew up there wasn’t much culture to learn about. He didn't know other basic food cuisines till he went to college. My dad got a scholarship to play football at the Naval Academy and he stayed in the Navy for over 30 years after that. He is a hard worker who does not like to have things handed to him. He will always find ways to work just as his parents before him had to. Similarly, I feel the need to work hard and be able to achieve half the things he has. He encourages me to be a strong willed individual and to never stop working on my craft even when I think its perfect.

My mothers family is a little more complicated. Her ancestors were almost all Jewish, my grandma for instance went into hiding to survive WW2. Lots of my ancestors were sent to concentration camps and killed. Once the war was over my grandma was only about 7 years old and had decided against the Jewish religion, she still felt it in her culture though. So my mom did not grow up Jewish but she still felt connected. After my mom was born, my grandma and her moved to Italy and met my grandfather. He was an artist spending some time in Italy from Illinois. They got married and had my aunt and uncle. My uncle later became an orthodox jew, trying to preserve family history. They eventually moved to Illinois where my mom grew up to be very intelligent. She in fact graduated high school at the age of 16 but she was too young for college and had to drop out. In time, she found her way and joined the Navy which sent her to school at UVA in her late 20s. She is one of the strongest women I know, and similarly to my dad she works extremely hard, never taking shortcuts. She was the only female in her troop and she could always keep up with the boys. Through her I am reminded that even though sometimes I can feel weak or not supported, she had to go through worse. I also have a huge sense of pride for our Navy because it allowed my mom to find herself and grow.

My parents did not get married till many years later, they actually met working together at the same Navy base. They both came from very different backgrounds and yet they were still able to get along. This is an example of what America should look like. Why do people have to hate because we are not all the same. America is supposed to be this big melting pot and yet people don’t welcome others. That is part of my creed. I want everybody to feel equal and be able to share their stories with others. People should be given options in life not to be stuck in a cycle. Both my parents changed their narratives and eventually were able to do so together. This should not be stopped because of others who do not want you to succeed. America is known as the land of the free and i believe it needs to start acting like it.