For Lauren Lapomarda, her heritage has shaped the woman she is today in more ways than one. The traditional values her parents instilled in her from a young age are the ones you can probably guess: respect, humbleness, and accountability. But the ones that stood out to me during my conversation with Lapomarda were tradition, sacrifice, and pride. In many cultures, families tend to raise their children to have a sense of pride in where they come from because oftentimes, where we come from is a huge part of what makes who we are. And for Lapomarda’s family, that sentiment was no different.