Tiffany Schmidt

Assignment 1 – Cultural Autobiography

Education 280

January 20, 2017

Multiculturalism exists all around us. I believe it often goes unnoticed of how many different

ethnicities, nationalities, and even religions there are in the United States along with the state of

Nevada. Cultural background brings much heritage and lifelong experiences to one’s family.

My name is Tiffany Marie Schmidt. There is no meaning behind my first name, it simply suited

my parents liking. Marie, was created after my Hispanic grandmother. Schmidt, is my married last name

of which is German. My maiden name, “Connally” is Irish of whom descends from my father’s family.

I was born into a family of 4. Father, Mother, Brother, and my myself. My father is full Irish and

my Mother full Mexican. My brother and I are often called, “half-breeds.” The four of us are all born

and raised in Las Vegas, NV. Growing up, both parents had stable jobs and our household was middle

class. My father, was a heavy-duty equipment operator in the union and my mother a cashier in the

casinos. We were simple, we celebrated: New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Cinco de

Mayo, Mother/Father’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

As a tradition, on St. Patrick’s we would and continue to gather together as a family to eat corn beef and

cabbage. It was a tradition we would celebrate with my Irish grandfather of whom has since passed.

When younger, I enjoyed learning the heritage of the Irish decent and take pride in being half Irish.

Simply weird, but my Mother does not speak nor comprehend the Spanish language. So

obviously, my first and only language is English as well. Often, people stereotype me because of my

Hispanic appearance and are misled when I cannot communicate back in the Spanish language. I can

recall when I was younger I always felt a sense of awkwardness when I was around individuals who

spoke Spanish. It made me feel uncomfortable and looked down on when I could not comprehend the
Spanish language. My mother along with her 9 siblings were all born and raised in Las Vegas, NV. They’re

all 100% Mexican. It continues to amaze me that my mother and her siblings do not speak Spanish. My

grandmother shared with us that when her children were young, it was a flaw and prohibited to speak

any language other than English in the classroom. If students spoke Spanish in the classroom they were

disciplined. Today, there are many cultural languages that are spoken in the classroom and often there

are students ranging in age who do not even speak or fluently speak the English language.

I am married and have two amazing sons. Both my husband and I are of the Catholic religion.

We have yet to baptize our little ones. This is by personal choice. Yes, we believe in our religion and

cherish all the knowledge we’ve gained however as we grew older we haven’t continued to attend

church on a regular basis. One tradition I do keep is taking my family to Church for midnight mass.

Midnight Mass is a Roman Catholic tradition celebrated on Christmas Eve. I do often feel guilty only

attending once a year, but as the Priest will announce, “Being present is better than being absence.”

Some may criticize us for not having our children baptized, but for us we believe we will teach our

children the same respect and dignity they need to grow as wonderful humans. They will grow into life

and acquire spiritual maturity.

Growing up in Las Vegas, I feel I’ve been exposed to much cultural diversity. I strive to

understand differences of others and love everyone for who they are. I will continue to teach my

children the knowledge they need so they can grow and understand the importance of multiculturalism.

It stems from the young upbringing as children to help with self-identity, interpersonal relationships,

communication, and resolution conflict. My children will be taught that in life whether it is at school,

there workplace, or in the community there will be individuals who’s appearance and language may

differ. They will be respectful of one’s ethnicity, nationality, or religion and know the importance of

gaining more knowledge if they have any confusion. I am very excited to learn about cultural

backgrounds and the perspective it has on the education field.

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