Shanah Goddard Intercultural Communication and Leadership Cho 선생님 29 March 2023 “I am…” Cultural Partner Activity In my diagram I wrote: friend, student, dancer, ADHD, woman, white, and American. In Sumin’s diagram he wrote: Korean, friendly, male, shorty, languages, CIEE, and Germany. Both of us had a hard time filling all of the squares in the diagram. Sumin and I discussed why that was the case and we think that it was difficult because we are rarely asked to come up with ways to describe our identity. Instead, we are typically asked facts about us, like where we are from or what school we go to. Both of us listed our nationalities/race and gender identity in our diagram, as they tend to be the first thing that people see. We also both listed friend/friendly and discussed how positive connections with others are a big part of our lives. Though we didn’t write it in our diagrams, we discussed how we also both identify as ambi-verts, meaning that we feel equally introverted and extroverted. We both feel that we need time spent with others but also need alone time after doing so for long periods. Our diagrams mainly differed due to Sumin’s focus on experience-based identity and my focus on long-term identities. I listed mainly attributes that I have almost always identified with, while Sumin listed some more experience-based ones such as CIEE and (studying abroad in) Germany. However, he talked about how these experiences have helped shape his identity given that they helped him be open to friendships with people from other cultures and become more well-versed in language (which has been a key interest for him for a very long time, and is connected to his major). In my case, I focused on identities that I have been connected to for most of my life. While they have had experiences that informed these identities, I chose to list the attribute instead. I think that it is really interesting that Sumin and I both described our identities but he did so through listing experiences that formed him and I did so by simply listing them. Talking to Sumin for this activity made me realize that I tend to see my identities as mainly concrete and I don’t tend to think about the experiences that have impacted or created them. Though it is still difficult to think of my identities in that way, I think doing so would be beneficial in better understanding myself and others around me.