Nicholas Butts First Year Seminar September 13, 2012

Cultural Mapping

My name is Nicholas Patrick Butts, and the meaning of my name is “victory of the

people.” My family is one hundred percent German. I am five foot ten and have a runners

build, I have blonde hair and bright blue eyes. When I am being described by someone

they might say that I have a bubbly and charismatic personality. I was born in Decatur,

Illinois on August 15, 1993. I was an unusual birth, for example I was born two and half

months early. It was hard for my family to watch my little body fight to live. Since I was

born early my parents did not have a name picked out for me yet, but then my great

grandmother paid a visit to the hospital soon after I was born she would spark an idea.

Immediately holding my fragile body in her arms she said, “His name is Nicholas

Patrick” my parents knew from that moment that would be my name. Later on in life I

faced many challenges, since I was born almost three months early I had many medical

problems growing up. My parents where told I would never be able to play sports

because my lungs could not handle it. Since then I proved the doctors wrong competing

in many different sports such as gymnastics and running showing that hard work and

dedication can pay off. Smoking and Alcoholism runs in my family, and luckily I do not

smoke or drink which helps tremendously in the many hurdles I have had to overcome in

my life so far.

I have learned many things from my family in the past couple years such as the good

work ethic, this is a trait that I was taught since I was little. I have always been told to

work hard for what I have and my parents have stressed this to me since I old enough to

understand. I have noticed that my family since they emigrated from Germany has

worked immensely hard to get where they are in life today. That is one of the main

factors why I choose to move to Chicago because this has been my dream since about

middle school. My mom and dad did not gradate from college and nor did their parents,

they pushed me into my decision to attend Columbia College Chicago. I made my

decision to attend Columbia College for the creative atmosphere, great location, and

renowned credibility. Coming from a small town in the Midwest I was not used to all the

diversity Chicago has to offer. Since I have moved to Chicago I have noticed this is a

melting pot for many different cultures, traditions, and religions. Moving to Chicago was

an excellent choice and it will help me grow more as a person and allow me to

understand others around me and myself. I am hoping that the move will help mold me

into a better person, student, worker, and friend.

Knowing one's self is an important factor in life, but also knowing the people around you.

Getting a better understanding for someone’s culture besides my own makes me a more

enlightened individual and also gives me more knowledge on how others have overcome

many of the same problems that my family has dealt hit with in the past. When we did the

exercise in class it help me understand more about my classmates. I hope to get to know

them all on a personal level this semester. I believe this class will help mold the young

people of today’s society and expand their horizons and knowledge about themselves and

others.