How is cultural identity shaped in a so-called multicultural environment? This ethnographic study addresses this question, using the example of a 2nd grade secondary school class with students from twelve different countries of origin in Zurich. Cultural identity is primarily lived everyday practice; it develops through processes of negotiation, comparison, and evaluation. How do the young people deal with the fact that they come from socio-culturally diverse backgrounds, under what circumstances does their origin become a burden, and when does it become a resource? The study paints a picture of adolescents who, in interaction with other young people and influenced by media and societal discourses, appropriate cultural symbols and systems to assert themselves in their social environment and achieve an acceptable position.