Identity Map

1. Identity Map “Who are you anyways?”

2. Student • As a college student I am furthering my education and becoming more knowledgeable. • Aside from the role of being a student, where I chose to go to college and the classes I chose to take say a lot about myself.

3. Democrat • Since I am so young people definitely judge me for being liberal. People always assume that I’m only a democrat because I don’t have an occupation and salary. They seem to think that by making more money I’ll somehow care less about the general well-being of others. I can’t look into the future but as of right now I don’t see that happening. • Bush and his administration has only reaffirmed my support of all things democrat. • I find socialism and libertarianism interesting but I haven’t looked into them much. I plan to do so sometime in the near future so that I can become more educated in politics and may chose to convert to one of those parties. • I find it pointless to be a certain label if one doesn’t use that to vote, because that is the whole point of democracy!!

4. Right-Handed • I have a status of being right-handed. I was born to predominately use my right hand. • I occasionally have been known to use my left hand but never for writing; usually for cutting and bowling and other odd things. • I don’t think that I have any sort of status as a right-handed person. In an individual sense I really don’t think that right-handed people are less intelligent than left-handed people or live longer. Perhaps in studies this was the case but that could be due to many other variables as well. • When I was little I secretly wanted to be left-handed because it was quirky and unusual (and part of me still does) even though it doesn’t really matter either way.

5. Short • The first thing the doctor said when he delivered me was, “Whose the short one in the family?” • My father was 6”0 and my mom is 5”7. This makes my short stature of 5”2 very unusual. Luckily my grandma (whose 5”3) is also short so I’m not the only short one in the family. • I was the shortest kid (or the occasional 2nd shortest!!) in my classes in elementary school every year. For awhile I would walk on my tip-toes constantly to appear taller. • I was also always the shortest on my softball team and therefore # 1, which never made me very happy. • I’ve always wanted to be taller and this is still the case but I don’t mind being short anymore; it gives me character! • Oddly enough, most people don’t notice my height at first. Of course they notice I’m shorter but when they find out I’m 5”2 they’re shocked because they usually say they would’ve guessed I was 5”4 or 5”5. I have no idea why this is the case. Maybe because I have short legs and a longer torso so I appear taller when I’m sitting down?

6. Green-eyed • I have a status of being green-eyed. I was born this way and have no control over this (other than colored contacts which doesn’t count) • I enjoy having green eyes because it’s a rare color which separates me from others. • Since I’m blonde people often think that I have blue eyes but I don’t. • My eye color is actually really random in the biological sense. I’m the only person in my family with green eyes. My dad had dark brown eyes and my mom has dark blue. I don’t have any other relatives with green eyes. Odd. • Having green eyes doesn’t affect me on a day-to-day basis. It’s not much different than any other color.

7. Aunt • I’m a step-aunt to my niece, Erin Lee. • People usually judge me because of this because I’m so young to be an aunt and my niece is already 9 years old, which is only a 9 year difference. However, my brother is 35 right now. The reason for such a large age difference is because of my parents. My step-dad had children at a younger age and my mom was a business woman and consequently had me at a later age. • I almost always slip-up and call her my cousin because it seems so odd to be called an aunt. She calls me Devon because Aunt Devon or anything similar would be too weird for me (and probably her too). • I love being an aunt. We have a special bond even though the age difference is odd.

8. 18 Yrs Old • 18 is a weird age because everything is so contradictory. At 18 you’re expected to handle so much responsibility. You can change the fate of your country through voting, you can move out, and take full responsibility of yourself in any and every other way. • On the other end of the spectrum, people judge eighteen year olds a ton. We haven’t had proper schooling or we aren’t capable to handle that task or this job. I feel a bit like it’s a double edged sword right now and it sometimes feels like the worst of both worlds but ultimately I’m glad to have the freedom that this age brings despite the consequences.

9. Woman • This is both my status and role. I was born female, however, I also act out my societal role as a woman. • I’m not the stereotypical girl in many senses but I’m no doubtable a girl. I’m not high maintenance at all; if you handed me a blow dryer I wouldn’t know what to do with it. I prioritize sleeping over spending hours preparing for the day (or night, for that case). Despite my short height I’m rarely ever in heels. I also don’t wear dresses or skirts too often. I’m certainly no femme fatale. • On the other hand, I do wear make-up regularly and I’m not super athletic or any of the stereotypical tom-boy or man characteristics. I suppose this would make me somewhat androgynous but I still identify with women. I enjoy shopping and giggling and gossiping with girls. Overall, I think I come across as a woman (or to some, girl); I’m just very low-maintenance… AKA lazy.