My name is Natalie Schuman. I was born and raised in New York City. My parents and my older sister come from Philadelphia so I feel a connection with that city as well. My parents Philly roots have influenced the way I speak in some little ways. I know that sounds specific but my cultural history is quite boring compared to many others’. My family has been in America for a few generations, so I have little cultural identity other than New Yorker.

My parents are both very much mixed. My mother is Irish, Czech and Polish. My father has ancestry all over eastern Europe. My father is Jewish and I was raised with both Jewish and Catholic traditions, though I am an atheist. I feel more connected to my Jewish roots and identify  the religion as part of my cultural identity. While I may not practice the religion, I feel its traditions are a part of me and help define who I am.

The diversity of New York has always been one of my favorite things about living here and I am looking forward to learning more about the history of it, and looking at it from an anthropological perspective.