Muhammad Salar Musawar has won first place in the Stars and Stripes America 250 essay contest in the middle school category. Muhammad is a military kid in the eighth grade at La Mesa School in Monterey, California.

The essay prompt was: “How has being part of a military (or military-affiliated) family shaped how you think about America?”

I still remember that day, when the scorching August sun was glazing brightly, and an extremely agitated me entered the home from school, tugging my school tie in exasperation. “We would be going to a military course in the USA,” my dad announced at the lunch table, and I was caught up in a roller coaster of fun, nervousness, and thrill to experience the American Dream.

As an international military family, we got settled in the La Mesa Village and were mesmerized by the culture of ‘free giving’ by outgoing neighbors for newcomers. Because of this generous tradition, settling in a new house was not a tedious task. The neighborhood seemed like a mosaic with people belonging to different cultures and countries, all living unified, respecting the boundaries and cultural sensitivities of others. The poetic lines engraved at the Statue of Liberty by Emma Lazarus, ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free’, seemed so true. 

La Mesa school became my harbinger for learning intercultural competence and cultural exchange. Firstly, there wasn’t an irritable me tugging at my school tie because there was no uniform. Secondly, I was learning a lot about American history and traditions, and talking about my Pakistani culture to an inquisitive class. Also, my gang of friends from the USA, the Middle East, East Asia, South Asia, and then the captivating feeling that our friendship encompasses and respects all cultures was priceless.

The care for special and differently-abled people in the USA imprinted my heart, and it is a practice that I will keep on valuing for the rest of my life. I have an eleven-year-old sister who has multiple special needs. The smiles that our family shares when she goes in an accessible van, and the accessibility placards which she enjoys, make us so grateful for living in such a humane community where people are not judged but appreciated for who they are.

Thus, being part of a military family has shaped my perception of America as a land of inclusion, based upon the values of meritocracy and individualism. It has evoked freedom of expression and critical thinking in me. Hence, from the callous Salar, I have become a wiser one, who has learnt the traits of cultural diversity, inclusiveness, international harmony, and peace amongst societies so that the world can be a better place to live in for all.