When the American flag flies high in the sky people look to it for opportunity and freedom.

Few are afraid to walk out their front door. Certain cultures are told to believe in a religion, or they may be persecuted. Several live in constant anxiety of those in higher power. America is a place people come to to feel safe and in power of themselves.

Differences are expressed in all sorts, unmistakably like people. People don’t like the same things, music, clothes, hairstyles. There are countless ways to express yourself, and not a single person will express themselves in identical ways. People bicker over things and will continue to for the rest of time because humanity will  probably never be indistinguishable. 

I am thankful that being a girl I have the chance to get an education, which some women are not allowed to have in other areas around the globe. In Cambodia, only 15% of women receive a higher education. There is no place safe for them to live and go to college, so many of them do not attend college.

How a person is raised has an influence on their view of the world. A person coming from poverty may have the opposite view of the world than someone who comes from wealth. Americans come from different backgrounds, social classes, viewpoints, but what unites us is the American flag. All our differences unite to form a whole under the United States of America. One nation, under God, indivisible.

The United States of America is a place of freedom to be who you are, believe in what you want, think what you want. America is a place to feel safe and protected, which is a right every person in this world deserves to have. America is a place where opportunities are abundant, no matter what race or religion. Every person has an equal chance of success.

The American flag may not mean this to someone else, but to me it means freedom, opportunity, and individuality.