I Honestly Thought of Myself as Simply American': DNA Testing Shocks College Students

More than 1,500 people have undergone genetic testing for West Chester University as part of a discussion of the project in DNA across campus. Anita Foeman, professor of communication studies at Penn State University, hoping to use the project to establish links between people. Students during a first year honors student took the test this fall, and many were surprised when the results have changed their identity.

Robert Langel

Robert Langel was a bit skeptical about the kind of "self-awareness" Anita Foeman.

He found a little nervous start in his first year at West Chester, two hours from home in central Pennsylvania, where everyone knows he is very conservative. He voted for Donald Trump, and was careful about what he said in class because he felt like a stranger, knowing that most people on campus are liberal.

When asked a question about his ancestry, he said: "I honestly thought it was simply American.

His mother told him his family was Pennsylvania Dutch, which means his DNA results would show 75 percent German or Dutch.

Its results are very surprising: "It is only about one-third of Western Europeans, a third British, fifteen percent of Eastern Europe, thirteen percent of a mixture of Italian, Greek, European Jews, even a percentage of Middle East. "

"1 percent in the Middle East - it was - that was a bit shocking," he said.

When she told her mother, she changed the subject and said she had to finish a task. "She was surprised," he said.

He added: "I have no prejudice against people coming from the Middle East. I know there is a lot of stigma around it .."

Langel was happy that he took the class, enjoying what he has learned from other perspectives. "It was very nice," he said.

"This kind of truth is opened not only the way I see the world, but I can see how the different perspectives of people and the way they see the world."

Amari Gilmore

The results of the DNA test were almost exactly as expected - 80 percent of Africans, 20 percent of Europeans - but Amari Gilmore surprised how emotional it was to get. I was sad, proud and "a little angry almost." You can clearly see how the slave trade worked in my background, as I have done here.

But she was happy to have the results. She is the first in her family to learn something about her heritage.

His father had been glad to hear that they had Zulu ancestry - he wanted to be a warrior, he said. When you saw Ghana and the Scandinavian countries are in your profile, you suddenly understand why your face has the way it does.

He was told that the people belonging to his father's family were of Irish descent and his surname was Irish. So when she saw in the 5% Irish DNA results, she was told "these stories of people mixing, possible breach, the Slave. This is a sad story and now they possess; ... My family has been through it.

"My ancestors were strong," said Gilmore. "They did what Dang and they came and they really survived It's sad, but beautiful. I built a wall of strength.

Domenica Castro

Domenica Castro has always told people that she was Spanish and Italian. Raised in southern New Jersey, he knew that his grandfather with his mother had come from Sicily and his father had moved to the United States from Colombia. The paternal branch of his family speaks Spanish in rapid strokes, and political tendencies have been strongly influenced by Hispanism. Immigration problems have become a cornerstone for her. She supports Hillary Clinton.

But when it came to its results, he was surprised to learn that it is more British than Spanish. She had no idea of any British ancestry in her family at all.

His father was annoyed by her, she said.

"For me it was, 'Oh, cool Six percent of Africans, 7 percent of Native Americans, and - more, the better!

The results suggest 33 percent Greek / Italian, British 17 percent, 11 percent Spanish - but not in German, which was strange because his grandmother often talk about his German heritage. Castro said he believes some of his elderly relatives would not accept the African heritage.

She said she would not change ethnic identity exactly - the Italian and Colombian cultural influences how proud her father and others feel, food and