Where do my opinions come from?

When people ask me who the biggest influence is in my life, my answer is always: my dad. I feel like I'm a good mix of both of my parents and their personalities but the most visible characteristics, views, and opinions I have is because of my dad.

My dad wears many hats. I'm not specifically referring to the brown cap he's wearing in the picture but instead what I mean is that there are many components that create his identity. Finding a picture to represent who my dad is, was hard. Scrolling though the pictures I saw my dad and my mom, my dad and my family, my dad rallying against deportations, and him helping organize the North Side Tornado clean up. There are pictures of him preaching, of him in Honduras, him with his white, asian, black, and latino brothers and sisters. How can I even begin summarize who he is and the effect he has had in my life?

I found that this picture shows a pretty good handful of his qualities in which I picked up on. To start with the microphone he holds represents how my dad is a leader. I learned, from him, how to take action, to be bold and to speak what's on my heart. Through his involvement with various church organizations and social justice movements, my eyes have been opened to the particular issues they face and awareness they raise. His shirt is from a monthly event organized by the non-profit he works for. From the name, Love Minneapolis, you can get the gist of what it's about (loving MPLS). Once again, through this my eyes have been opened to the injustice that is so prevalent in the city but he has also taught me how sometimes the solution lies in simply loving your neighbor.

I want to mention his hat as well; my dad likes wearing them even though some of the ones that he wears makes him look, as my friends put it, "gangster". Living in North Minneapolis we know gangsters and ex-gangsters. Living in "the hood" where my parents raised me has made me aware of people, their personalities, living conditions, and that not everyone has it off is as well as my priviate-school-suburban-friends.

The last thing I wanted to point out in this picture is the cross necklace my dad displays daily. As I mentioned before, one of the "hats" my dad wears is being a preacher. Being raised in a christian home, I have always had the church and godly influences in my life. The faith I have is no longer my parent's but is now personally mine. This the essence of how I see the world and what makes and shapes my opinions.

Although I haven't figured out a major and I'm still deciding on what to do with the rest of my life, my past experiences have shaped me into the person I am today and my dad is the person who has been most influential in the way I see the world.