A Third Culture Kid is a term that many people are unfamiliar with, and therefore may not understand what it means. A Third Culture Kid, or TCK as more commonly used on the internet, is someone who has grown up in or been influenced by different cultures. Usually these individuals gained their expanded cultural awareness through their travels between various countries; however, it could also be that they live in a multicultural household and have had those cultures and the local culture impact their upbringing. Thus, following the definition Ruth Van Reken gave in Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds, “A third culture kid is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parents’ culture. As they build relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership in any.” This provides Third Culture Kids with a unique perspective of the world, because they are always open to learning new things about different people. They can easily adapt to new environments due to this flexible mindset, which can be helpful when making large moves, such as the transition to college. TCKs have an advantage adapting to new environments because they already know how to interact with people whose perspectives and cultures may differ from their own. Other students who are not TCKs are learning how to do this for the first time in their lives, and it may be difficult for them to develop a more culturally aware mindset. Even though college students are experiencing different cultures many of them are not becoming Third Culture Kids due to the fact that Third Culture Kids have to move to an area that is significantly different from where they come from originally. Many students are moving to college from similar areas in the US. It is important to note that only people who experience Impactful changes in living environments as well as differences in language, slang and values can be defined as Third Culture Kids, and due to the significance of these changes TCKs can have a difficult time trying to find their identity, as well as their place in the world.  

The idea of Third Culture Kids and the insight they can provide is especially relevant today due to the controversy over immigration in US politics. Trump’s rhetoric against immigrants does not take into consideration the positive impact multiple cultures can have on society. In the Wall Street Journal article Donald Trump Faces Pressure on How to Handle Young Immigrants, they discuss his potential actions as president and how it would impact the children whose parents’ immigrated to the US illegally. These kids are Third Culture Kids and have a rich culture, but it is impossible to know how these TCKs will transition back to their original culture if exiled from the country.

The experiences of Third Culture Kids are all different; however, there is one commonality that crosses borders and life stories. This defining factor would be the impact being a Third Culture Kid has had on every single one of them. While the extent and the type of impact may vary from person to person, every TCK can say that they have changed as a result of their multicultural upbringing and exposure. We spot each other in airports, we recognize each other in classrooms and we talk to each other about what we miss from the different places we have lived. We share stories and perspectives and sometimes our travels sound pretentious, but we know that they are a part of who we are. If it was not for being a Third Culture many of us would not be the people we are today, because it has had such an important impact on our lives.