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            It is very difficult to sit here and describe how I became me. Many factors go into shaping a person’s identity, whether it is race, ethnicity, education, family, or even friends. As an Irish Catholic Caucasian woman, I am able to classify myself in many different ways. I believe that the many influential people and circumstances that have occurred in my life have shaped my identity.

            Since the age of 6, I have attended a catholic school my whole life. Living in a middle class suburb of Cleveland, this wasn’t unusual. Growing up attending a catholic grade school was the norm, or so I thought. At this point in my life I did not realize how lucky and fortunate I was to be able to go to a private school. When it came time to decide where I wanted to attend high school, I was given a choice of schooling for my first time. My parents gave me the option of either going to the public high school in my city, or attending either one of the two catholic all girl schools in Cleveland, Ohio. While many of the kids in my grade school went on to public school, I decided to continue my education in a catholic all girls’ high school called Magnificat. Little did I know, that attending Magnificat would shape my identity in ways I never knew possible.

            Going into high school as a freshman was very intimidating. I only knew a few other girls from grade school that continued their education at Magnificat. Walking into the school filled with over 900 girls was frightening to say the least. But the minute I stepped into the school, I became obsessed. Everyone was kind and welcoming. For the first time in my life I didn’t feel the need to impress anyone. I didn’t have to worry about boys judging me for what I was wearing or what I looked like. I was able to get a great education without having to worry about the little things that were not important.

            During my senior year of high school, I went on a service trip to Duran, Ecuador. We were told that Duran was the poorest city in Ecuador. Before the trip I thought I knew what poor looked like. Although I was a bit sheltered in my life, I thought I knew what poor looked like. But I was completely wrong. No words can describe the loss that those people had. They struggled to get water to drink from, let alone enough to make food or even shower. The people lived in “houses” made of bricks piled up in a small square. At that moment in life, I realized how truly fortunate I was in life.

            But Magnificat did not only have an impact on my beliefs. It was there that I found my best friends. While many people find their best friends in college, I already had mine from high school. The women that became my best friends shared many of the characteristics that I saw in myself. These women were enthusiastic, caring, and honest. They influenced who I became and what I did in my life.

            There is a saying that describes my Magnificat perfectly. “From the inside looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it.”

*add quotes
*add pictures
*add the difference of teaching at all guys school of my brothers
*how all girls school influenced how i view society
*how this shaped my identity as a woman