What does being Hispanic mean to you, and how do your life experiences shape your answer. (200-500 words)
I was not always proud of being Hispanic. As a young girl, I struggled to learn English. I did not like learning English and I did not like having to assimilate to the American lifestyle. I would go to school and feel very out of place for my darker skin, thick curly hair, and struggling with English. I felt that it was a setback. My dad would tell me that being different made me unique, speaking two languages makes a brain smarter, and that being hispanic was an advantage; lessons that would be told to me over and over but only understood after I was older and experienced.
My long-term motivation for academia came when I began to understand the journey and hardships my parents overcame in spite of coming to the United States for a better future. Leaving their extended family in Juarez, Mexico, my parents wanted to provide our family with a house, sufficient food, and the opportunity to go to college; privileges they would have loved to have growing up. I established that their hard work and humility would never be taken for granted, but rather an everyday motivation to give it my all.
Throughout the years, I struggled to see the what traits were actually part of our hispanic culture. The deep understanding came together when I started my first job as a lifeguard at Magic Waters Waterpark. Every Sunday was Bamba Dance Day where we held various hispanic music, dance, and foods. Puerto-Ricans, Mexicans, Cubans, etc., formed a diverse group, but were held together by one unifying language. This was also a time where I witnessed large hispanic families come together, speak in a lively tone, and have the sense of humor reflected in my own family, where name-calling "fat" or "gordo" is actually a form of affection. I felt a sense of belonging and saw beauty in my own workplace's diverse integration.
The very next summer, I procured a job as a bilingual Outreach Associate for Oak Street Health Clinic, a clinic which provides healthcare for low income senior citizens. One outreach event was for latinos gaining citizenship and I was there to distinctively express our bilingual service and welcoming environment. There, I found an adult Mexican who struggled to find a trustworthy doctor for his recently naturalized parents. Struggling with his English, he claimed that clinics would dismiss him or lack interest to help. Being a bilingual representative, I guided and registered his parents for our clinic, and realized that I am a part of a much greater hispanic community.
We come from humble beginnings and work hard to take advantages of the opportunities provided in the U.S. We celebrate U.S. customs while keeping our own cultural values alive. We are part of the largest growing minority, adding a spicy diversifying flavor to the U.S. Throughout our journey and hardships, being hispanic means I am apart of a much greater and supportive community which empowers us to fulfill our dreams.
I was not always proud of being Hispanic. As a young girl, I struggled to learn English. I did not like learning English and I did not like having to assimilate to the American lifestyle. I would go to school and feel very out of place for my darker skin, thick curly hair, and struggling with English. I felt that it was a setback. My dad would tell me that being different made me unique, speaking two languages makes a brain smarter, and that being hispanic was an advantage; lessons that would be told to me over and over but only understood after I was older and experienced.
My long-term motivation for academia came when I began to understand the journey and hardships my parents overcame in spite of coming to the United States for a better future. Leaving their extended family in Juarez, Mexico, my parents wanted to provide our family with a house, sufficient food, and the opportunity to go to college; privileges they would have loved to have growing up. I established that their hard work and humility would never be taken for granted, but rather an everyday motivation to give it my all.
Throughout the years, I struggled to see the what traits were actually part of our hispanic culture. The deep understanding came together when I started my first job as a lifeguard at Magic Waters Waterpark. Every Sunday was Bamba Dance Day where we held various hispanic music, dance, and foods. Puerto-Ricans, Mexicans, Cubans, etc., formed a diverse group, but were held together by one unifying language. This was also a time where I witnessed large hispanic families come together, speak in a lively tone, and have the sense of humor reflected in my own family, where name-calling "fat" or "gordo" is actually a form of affection. I felt a sense of belonging and saw beauty in my own workplace's diverse integration.
The very next summer, I procured a job as a bilingual Outreach Associate for Oak Street Health Clinic, a clinic which provides healthcare for low income senior citizens. One outreach event was for latinos gaining citizenship and I was there to distinctively express our bilingual service and welcoming environment. There, I found an adult Mexican who struggled to find a trustworthy doctor for his recently naturalized parents. Struggling with his English, he claimed that clinics would dismiss him or lack interest to help. Being a bilingual representative, I guided and registered his parents for our clinic, and realized that I am a part of a much greater hispanic community.
We come from humble beginnings and work hard to take advantages of the opportunities provided in the U.S. We celebrate U.S. customs while keeping our own cultural values alive. We are part of the largest growing minority, adding a spicy diversifying flavor to the U.S. Throughout our journey and hardships, being hispanic means I am apart of a much greater and supportive community which empowers us to fulfill our dreams.
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