The Mark of My Culture by Tanushree Bansal is about a girl who is ashamed by her heritage. She tried to blend in with the crowd, getting rid of anything about her that stood out. After a while, she realizes that even though she shuns her culture, she is attached to it. Her school also helped her embrace her heritage. “I ate at Japanese hibachi restaurants with my Asian friends and at Spanish bodegas with my Latino schoolmates…I began to realize that people’s cultures often frame their perspectives and that a understanding of the world, a compassion for others, can only be achieved if cultures of every type are openly embraced.” describes that Tanushree realized that people’s cultures defined themselves and that the world could only be understood if all cultures were accepted. Tanushree began to open and accept her culture for it taught her many things, to stay away from drugs and alcohol and also about hard work.
     I used to be like Tanushree, refusing to wear traditional Indian clothes on important holidays, bringing sandwiches instead of rice over chicken, etc. Then, I realized that the world is made up of different and most people embrace their cultures. So why should I be ashamed? “My culture that taught me that even a natural intelligence went to waste if I wasn’t ardently committing every cell in my body to the task at hand. It was my culture that taught me to love intellectual vibrancy, to love colors, to love social environments, to love music, to love family- to love” explains that Tanushree’s Indian culture taught her to love her family, friends, and herself and to work hard. It is not just Tanushree’s culture that can teach these lessons, all cultures can. So, instead of shunning your culture, embrace and love it because you are you and not someone else.