Artifact 1

My culture and ethnic background has always been a part of my life, but it has never been at the forefront. I was born and raised in a predominately white, suburban city with very limited diversity. This has caused me to grow very distant from my Vietnamese background, and in a way, reject it. This is something that I have made a conscious effort to change during my college experience. My older cousins were both heavily involved in the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) at their school and it gave them the foundation for many of their lifelong friends. When I came to OSU, I knew that I wanted to get involved in VSA and I have thoroughly enjoyed it thus far. For my first artifact, I chose an áo dài, which is a traditional dress representative of Vietnamese culture. Since joining VSA, I have been motivated to speak more Vietnamese when talking to my parents. Through doing this, I already feel more connected to them and my grandparents. The áo dái reminds me of when I was younger and would travel to Vietnam to celebrate the new year. Now, it reminds me of my roots and why I should try to stay connected to them. This is why I chose an áo dài as my first artifact.

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