Beyond First Impressions: Exploring Identity at UndocuTalks

Hello again,

I never thought this year would lead me to post more on the 'Daily Biz with Crystal Garingan' blog, but I am beyond happy and grateful for the opportunity to share my work and the greatest adventures that my college life has taken me on, especially ever since the start of my very first semester at my dream university, Cal State Northridge! ♡

This past semester—my first semester at the university—has been quite a roller coaster ride. Between meeting deadlines for all my piled-up work professors throw at me every single day nonstop and making the daily 35-minute drive (sometimes an hour depending on traffic) on the good old 405 freeway from Santa Clarita to Northridge and vice versa, the memories and lessons I’ve gained transferring to the university have been invaluable, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

For one of my communication courses I'm currently taking this semester (Fall 2026), I was given an assignment to attend a cultural event completely different from my own and write a review paper on my thoughts, opinions, and how the experience impacted me. 

Below is my original written paper discussing my experience at the UndocuTalks events hosted by the DREAM Center at California State University, Northridge, which I attended on October 28, 2026. 

Enjoy reading! 

Have you ever wondered how much of a person’s life story we overlook when we think we know who they are at first glance? Our sense of self is influenced by our experiences, relationships, beliefs, and the cultural factors that make up our identity. However, understanding how identity works in today’s society is not solely about recognizing our own identity. We need to also consider how others portray themselves and whether the communities they are living in accept them. On October 28, 2026, I attended “Undocu-Identites,” an UndocuTalks event hosted at the DREAM Center at California State University, Northridge campus. At the event, we discussed what identity meant to us and created “Who I Am” collages using images and words that represented different parts of ourselves. This event helped me reflect deeply on my identity, connect with people from cultural backgrounds different from mine, and think more about the challenges people face when adapting to life when living in another country.

The UndocuTalks event combined a creative activity with conversations about self-identity and belonging. To make our collages, we used pictures from magazines, stickers, words, and other materials to create them while discussing our experiences at the same time. Even though I cannot remember the exact wording of every discussion at the top of my head, I remember that each question reflected on how we acknowledged other people’s identities as well as my own. We also considered the experiences of people who come to the United States and adjust to a different cultural environment. These themes encouraged me to think way beyond just what I can immediately see about someone and consider the experiences that may shape their everyday life. 

My college showed various facets of who I am. I included images that connect to my faith, religion, education, friendship, travel, creativity, and personal growth. A photo of the Bible and the words "Spiritually Sound” in my collage represent how much I prioritize faith in my life. The graduation image reflects the value I place on my education and working towards my goals. The greatest gift my family has given me is the opportunity to go to school. I feel extremely fortunate to have the support of my parents, who handle the financial costs of my education so I can focus fully on my academics without the added stress of working. However, reflecting on education also reminded me that not everyone has the same access to these opportunities like I do. Financial circumstances can create obstacles, according to an article from Gale Cengage, an extensive research database network hosting millions of scholarly articles, academic papers, and historical periodicals. The article explained that, “The expense associated with higher education prevents some people from attending, particularly students from lower-income families and those from historically marginalized communities” (“Higher Education”). This helped me recognize that achieving education goals can depend on financial resources and personal determination. It also encouraged me to consider the additional challenges others might face while navigating both college and an unfamiliar cultural environment.

Other images I added to my identity collage, such as a camera, a journal, and a group of friends, represent interests and the relationships that truly matter to me in my life. Phrases about balance, self-care, and progress reflected values I want to practice. These phrases absolutely stand out in my life because the majority of my identity is shaped by the people around me, specifically my family, and every decision I’ve made in my life was for them. One thing that I learned in the course of both COMS-356: Intercultural Communication and COMS-360: Communication and Gender in regards to identity is that my identity is defined by me. Putting together a collage on my identity helped me recognize that no single label or facet can fully explain who I am. My identity includes both the values that guide me and the relationships and activities that give my life meaning.

The identity collage activity at the Undocu talks event changed my perspective about other people’s identities, if my own identity includes many different parts, then other people drive to the same understanding. A person’s nationality or immigration status cannot fully explain their personality, background, or ambitions. In an article from Gale Cengage, it stated, “However, biases often are not based on reason or impartiality but rather on oversimplified and exaggerated assumptions” (Bias, Prejudice, and Discrimination). By creating my identity, collage encouraged me to think beyond the simplified judgements by recognizing the many experiences and values that shape a person’s identity. The activity gave me a better understanding of these ideas by bringing together many different images into one representation of a person. Learning about someone else and their life requires curiosity and an engaging conversation rather than making assumptions based on their characteristics, like their; race or ethnicity etc.

I felt completely safe and comfortable during the UndocuTalks event. The collage activity gave me something to focus on while participating in conversation, which made the experience feel really approachable. The event did not feel uncomfortable at all to me; it was so nice having the opportunity to talk with the other people who attended the event who come from many different cultural backgrounds and being able to relate and have little similarities based on our upbringings, even though we came from different cultures, was truly reassuring. This helped me see that intercultural communication includes recognizing both meaningful differences and shared experiences.

Additionally, relating to someone in one area does not mean that I completely understand their life. Sharing family expectations does not mean we have experienced the same opportunities, challenges, or pressures. This type of difference plays an important role in my relationships. By acknowledging something familiar in a person's story while still listening to what makes their experience different from mine. Making that type of effort allows a conversation with those people to become an opportunity to learn rather than making an attempt to always fit another person’s experience into my own.

This event challenged my assumptions by making me think more deeply about what challenges come with adjusting to living in another country. Even though I was born and raised in the United States, from a broader viewpoint I fully understand now, after the UndocuTalks event, that coming to the U.S. for new life, opportunities, etc. does not necessarily mean that a person feels at home right away. Thinking about how difficult it could be to navigate unfamiliar expectations while missing relationships and cultural surroundings that seem and feel familiar to us—those feelings are deeply validating. These relationships helped me understand why adapting to a new culture can never be reduced to an individual’s willingness to adjust. So many people may be working toward a better future for themselves while also experiencing uncertainty about where they truly belong in an environment that they feel unsure about.

Putting myself in other people’s shoes encouraged a sense of empathy, even though I recognize that imagining an experience is completely different from living it out. I thought about how I would feel if the important facets that shape my identity were misunderstood by others or if I felt the sense of peer pressure to change them just so I could be accepted by those around me. This reflection made the ideas and sense of belonging feel more personal to me. It encouraged me to be more patient when it comes to communicating across various differences and to avoid interpreting unfamiliar behavior without considering its context. Something one of my former COMS professors from my old community college once said to me is that ‘you don’t experience the world; you interpret it!’--a reminder that hearing the stories of others shared at the event challenged me to interpret others through a lens of empathy and understanding. 

Another valuable lesson I took from this event was that adjusting to a new society does not require giving up the meaningful connection you made to your cultural background. I started to think about belonging as something that a community creates through its interactions with others. People should have the opportunity to participate in what is surrounding them while maintaining connections with their heritage at the same time. The collage activity reinforced these ideas for me, as it allowed different facets of a person’s identity to exist together on the same level.

From this experience, I really wanna practice intercultural communication by listening more carefully, asking respectful questions, and allowing others to express themselves by explaining their identities in their own words. I also wanna be more mindful that no individual represents an entire cultural group. Expression of bias can be "automatic and implicit, meaning that it occurs without conscious intent (“Bias, Prejudice, and Discrimination”). This reminds me that respectful communication requires examining my own assumptions, including those I might recognize right away. Finding common ground may help start a relationship, but understanding others grows when we make room to share our thoughts and differences, too.

Overall, attending the UndocuTalks event, “Undocu-Identities,” helped me connect personal reflection with intercultural understanding. Getting to create my own identity college allowed me to notice the many influences that shape who I am and my identity, while the conversations I and the other people shared amongst each other at the event encouraged me to extend that same acknowledgement to others. That day, I left the event with a greater appreciation for the value of cultural identity, community acceptance, and empathy. One thing I can take away from this experience I learned is that the key to understanding someone begins with a willingness to listen beyond just the first impression.

For more information or insight on The DREAM Center at CSUN, please check the link below to their website and their Instagram account.

Website: The CSUN DREAM Center

DREAM CENTER Instagram Account: @csundreamcenter

I hope you enjoyed reading my paper!! ♡

Works cited

"Higher Education." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2025. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/WKFTHM421872933/OVIC?u=csunorthridge&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=a4ab3ff1.

"Multiracial America." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2020. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010999304/OVIC?u=csunorthridge&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=4ffe6775.

"Bias, Prejudice, and Discrimination." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2024. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/WDNJKN044367372/OVIC?u=csunorthridge&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=85bc8274.

Image Credit: 

All photographs included in this post were taken by the publisher, Crystal Garingan ♡