Personal Narrative: My Growing Up As A Latino Community

As a part of an immigrant family, there is no doubt that, as the oldest, I had to help my parents with English translation. Even though I have been in this role for years, it was not until recently that I realized the significance of my responsibilities.

My story would have never begun if my parents had not made a huge decision in my life, almost 15 years ago. When they decided to move our family across the border, my future would be become unknown. The fate I had been destined to have was completely altered, now, I had the opportunity to change my life for the better, to strive for something bigger. My parents pushed me to be the best I could be, and to work as hard as possible to get what I wanted. As the daughter of two Mexican immigrants I grew up in a very cultural household, and being surrounded by Spanish at all times. The only negative being I had to learn English on my own, and which led to me having some difficulty when I first started school. Yet, growing up in a Spanish speaking

Growing up in a Hispanic household has shaped and built my values in life. At Appleton North High School, I am one out of the few Hispanic students. Knowing that my parents have migrated to America to give me a better future has motivated me to make it happen. Although, as a Mexican-American, I have felt out of place as a minority. However, with time I learned to accept my cultural differences. In fact, to this day, I thank my widowed father for the sacrifices and greater opportunities he has given me. My goal is to keep representing the few Hispanic students in college by working hard to achieve my career goals; not all Hispanics are fortunate enough to attend college. I also work to inspire young Hispanics to find their potential and follow

As an undergraduate student, the topics that emerged from writing research and essay papers were topics that I or others could relate to. The opportunity to participate in research came to me, I could not resist but to pursue being a part of it. I was in the developmental lab organized by Dr. Knifsend for the past two years of my undergraduate career.

“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

As the first and only child in my family to attend college, I represent “Diversity”. My Hispanic heritage and culture has shaped my life by instilling the strong values and principles that Hispanic families and community’s share. Furthermore, my cultural roots have greatly influenced my current journey and have helped me learn and develop as a leader. The professional, academic, and career opportunities I am learning now is what sets me apart from everyone else, and I believe my strong leadership potential and commitment to my fellow peers are essential to becoming an innovative leader.

I am fluent in both Spanish and English, I am also well aware of the Latino-American experience in the United States. I have been raised in the Los Angeles area since the age of seven and thus, I am particularly sensitive to my Latino/Latina (Hispanic) patients, and their unique medical needs. In the most practical terms, I will be able to reach out to my Latino/a patients in their native language, and thereby increasing the accuracy of treatment, reducing error and increasing my patients sense of importance and relevance in their healing process. Chiropractic medicine would provide me with the balance between the holistic approach to the patient care, a complete understanding of the physiology and biomechanics of the body, and a constant observation

Coming from a Mexican immigrant family I have learned to recognize since a very young age that because of the status that my parents are placed in they cannot pursue a better future like the one I want. I have been given the opportunity to challenge myself with obtaining a higher education than just high school itself. My parents have demonstrated to me through their hard work that I have to value this opportunity unless I want to end up with low paying job. My life long dedication comes from seeing my parents make sacrifices in order for my education to continue.

I am Mexican-American. It took me years to finally be able to say that with a sincere feeling of pride. Both of my parents were born in Mexico and moved here before they had a chance to attend college, so my entire life I’ve been exposed to both Mexican culture and American culture. Instead of seeing my multi-cultured world as unique and special, I saw it as a sort of disadvantage, but as time went on and I became more educated on the successes of Mexican-Americans, I had a newfound understanding and appreciation of the culture which consequentially influenced my future aspirations.

Inequality towards minorities in the United States has been established to be forgotten but in this century we have noticed that it has never gone away but instead been covered with other structures that allow inequality to take place. Being a minority and watching this video reminded me of the inequalities that I will still have to face throughout my education and career path. For many of us we have been tracked since elementary and allowed structures figure out where we belong due to our race, economic status, immigration status. For some students, we realize the inequalities that we have been given and try to make a change that will affect us and future generations. Cases like Brown vs. Board of Education and Mendez vs. Wethcmister Shows

I am a daughter of Mexican immigrants and was raised in California’s rural and underserved Central Valley. As a child, I was exposed to the daily challenges immigrant communities face in California exemplified by the experiences of my own family. Residents of Arvin, CA, my hometown, are primarily Latino immigrants, low-income, employed in agricultural labor, and lack access to educational opportunities. In my community, access to fair housing, healthcare, employment, and living wages are limited and social service resources are scarce. When I moved to Berkeley, CA to pursue my bachelor’s degree, I was motivated to serve Latino communities in the Bay Area facing similar social and political obstacles as my hometown as I recognized the need for social and policy improvements.

Growing up as an immigrant I view the world in a much more different light than most people do. Whenever an opportunity presents itself to me I am willing to put in the effort if I know it will better my life. This trait of resourcefulness originates from my family who, over the years have created a life for themselves out of virtually nothing. I moved to America at the young age of two years old with my father. Though he didn’t have much to begin with, my father decided to move to this country in hopes to lead a better life and follow on the path of the American dream. I vividly recall being in the backseat of our car while my father trained me on the importance of remaining perceptive and hardworking in school and abroad, I remember he would

No one get’s to choose what environment in which they were raised. I grew up in a very difficult environment that has affected me in various ways. Although it has left some very scaring memories, it has made me who I am today.

The Latino community has made strides forward when it comes to education. Adriana Kohler and Melissa Lazarin, analysists for education reform for the National Council of La Raza, reports that “The growth of the Latino student population has significantly surpassed that of other ethnic/racial groups (2). Even with these strides, the Latino community still faces obstacles in higher education. Kohler and Lazarin further report that “although Latino enrollment in institutions of higher education has increased, Latinos are still less likely than non-Latinos to be enrolled in or graduate from college (10).” It is important in understanding the obstacles that the Latino community face in accessing higher education and through advocacy and legislation, help to support educational achievement and resources to that effect.

Most times we don’t realize the power and privilege that we have in our personal lives until it is challenged or questioned. I was unaware about the ways that these two things, power and privilege contributed to my present interest and attitudes toward certain racial and culture issues here in the United Sates. I was raised in what you would call a normal home, in a normal neighborhood, both of my parents have good jobs and if money was a problem I never seemed to notice growing up. I come from a square mile town; there is a plethora of backgrounds and ethnicity in such a small space. From the time I attended preschool, till I graduated high school the same people had been in my class all of my life and we all had a strong bond almost like family. When I moved to Reno, a much bigger city, I experienced a lot of diversity and people with very different opinions.