My American Creed

The American Creed is a defining element of what makes each and every one of us an American citizen. It consists our liberty, our individualism, and our equality as citizens. My parents moved to the United States several years ago in order to obtain a better life as opposed to the life they had in the Philippines. Their american creed was that they as immigrants carry out their culture and identity into America while still having an american presence.

My American Creed however, is one that carries both the Filipino identity that I have, as well as the American identity, the opportunities that I have because of those two identities are what makes it up. The opportunity of education that my parents didn’t get to have when they were my age, the opportunity of being an american citizen and having the rights and liberty that make that up, and the opportunity to be a first generation Asian American . It may seem that since my parents are Filipino I may be still following only their culture. However, even if my parents were born and raised in the Philippines I still was born into the culture which is the American culture. I speak the same way as them, I act the same way as them, and I do the same things as them. Being an american isn’t what I’m trying to be it’s what I am, and the same thing applies for the other half of me being Filipino to me . Both sides are very important to me as they are a big part of who I am.  

Another huge part of my American Creed are the friends I have. For a long time In my childhood the absence of friends always made me question who I was because I had no one to relate to. When I finally found my friends they helped me discover my passion and my goals in life. These friends however are an unlikely bunch, believe it or not my best friend group consists of a mix of different races usually not seen socializing with one another. There’s one Filipino(me), an Arab, an Indian, a white guy, and two black guys. They helped me realize the fact that I can be a part of more than just one culture, that I can be diverse and that’s what makes me who I am. As different as we are, we all share the same likes, the same dislikes, the same interests, the same creed, we all are a part of each other’s cultures just as much as being Filipino is a part of mine.

My creed isn’t made up of just the color of my skin, I may be Filipino, but I am also an american, the things I do, the culture I choose to be a part of, whether that culture is made up of blacks, whites, or Asians it doesn’t matter who, the friends and brothers I choose from those cultures are what builds my identity, my passion, my creed.