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.