At five years old, I twirled my white and silver baton far up in the air while I walked in the Fourth of July parade. As I looked around me, I saw people with the American flag painted across their face, with plastic bags open, begging for candy, and people cheering with excitement celebrating our independence.

I remember going back to my house in rural Wisconsin, farms surrounding our yard and corn knee high by the Fourth of July. My dad would grill out, the good ol’ burgers and hotdogs on the charcoal grill. I looked forward to this holiday the entire year.

Our independence is why I’m proud to be an American.

Since I was a little girl, I knew the colors red, white, and blue symbolized our independence. Half of my family--aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents--fought for America. They were drafted or they enlisted in the Air Force, Marines, and the Army to help protect our country and home for over 320 million people. That is why the Fourth of July is a holiday our entire family loves to celebrate. It celebrates our families contribution to keeping our country intact and functioning. Without independence, my family would not have built our beautiful house out in the country where the corn was knee high, they wouldn’t be able to fly the flag high in our front yard, and we wouldn’t be able to say what is on our mind.

We as a country are united. Every state has different ethnicities, races, and religious beliefs. We accept that. America’s a melting pot and our independence allows us to paint the beautiful picture that symbolizes our world today. Ever since I was that little girl, twirling my baton in the Fourth of July parade, celebrating the worlds independence, I knew that I was in the country with the most opportunities. We had independence and freedom, and I knew my life was going to be amazing here in America.

So be proud to be an American, raise your flag high, and feel blessed to live in such a wonderful place.