I woke up on an especially cool winter morning and looked over to my mother’s side of the bed. She was not there, I knew that, but I secretly wished she was. I swung my legs off the bedside and rushed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get myself ready for school. This was a typical morning for me. My mother worked from before the sun rose until late after the sun was already down, she is a Mexican immigrant who had spent only two years in the United States when my father left us. She had to raise us on her own, struggling to live in a country she was completely foreign to, learning the language as she went along, depending on her own children to help her navigate through the world. My childhood was nothing abnormal, I had shoes on my feet
I am not white, but I am not Mexican either. I am, however, a first generation Mexican American with parents from San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Perhaps I do not know what it is like to cross the border that refrains me from being Mexican, or the color of my skin that refrains me from being white, but my own personal experiences make me the Mexican American that I am today. Growing up I celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks, and the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe with matlachines.
This autobiographical essay will define my experience as a Dominican immigrant living in New York City. Being an American citizen with a Dominican background are extremely relevant to the process of political socialization. My family background is founded on the principles of democratic values, which taught to me by my mother and father. In New York City, I found a “melting pot” of different immigrants that allowed me to feel more accepted as a Dominican living in the United States. More so, these aspects of the socialization process provided a foundation for my belief in democratic values throughout my life.
Did you move around a lot when you were a child? When I was 9 I learned what it meant to lose all your friends and leave behind all you know because your mother has decided to move to the Mexican border in Arizona. Before we moved it was my purpose in life to sprout wings and go to a different dimension. For a while it stayed like this because I had friends that were just like me. After we moved I learned about Amelia Earhart in school and decided that I wanted to become a pilot and travel the world.
“I grew more aware of anti-immigrant sentiments and stereotypes: they don't want to assimilate, they are a drain on society,” says immigration rights activist Jose Vargas in his personal essay “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” [1080]. Immigration in the United States has been a wedge issue for American citizens and legislatures for decades. Jose Vargas, an illegal immigrant and prominent writer, producer, and activist speaks on his personal experience as an undocumented immigrant. He bravely admits the illegality of his presence in the United States and speaks out against discrimination as his life is a controversial subject in his own country. He speaks on this topic in a dignified manner in order to bring to light the hardships that
As a member of a working class community, my life has been a struggle between resources and opportunities available for me. Having sparse resources has lead me to the constant push of working towards the things I’ve achieved. Social identities have become a guidance for my future goals and abilities. Being working class Latina, raised in a Catholic family has created many barriers and pathways into the future I wish to hold. Furthermore, taking all the social identities I have grew into have become the bases for my educational goals and identity.
From my appearance, people think I am Mexican or Hawaiian. And from my last name, people think I’m Japanese. I can’t count or remember for my life how many times I’ve been asked by people if I was one of those ethnicities. Truth be told, I was born in Danville, Indiana. Yes I know, I’m a Hoosier.
I believe the term, hispanic, itself does not define who I am. I define who I am and who I want to become. However, I do come from a Mexican heritage. Coming from a Mexican heritage has influenced and deeply impacted my life. My heritage has taught me a lot.
Growing up as a first-generation Mexican American was a huge advantage for me in that it allowed me to grow up in a culturally diverse community. I learned how to work well with people of all backgrounds and empathize with people from all walks of life. However, while being the first in my family to go to college was a momentous accomplishment, the lack of instruction and guidance lead me to commit many mistakes that could have been easily avoided during my first years at college. My timidity and downright arrogance lead me to believe that I did not need anyone’s assistance and thus I found myself denial that there was a problem in terms of my grades during my first semesters. I have since addressed this issue and have worked diligently to
From as early as I could remember I noticed I was not like the others kids. I had an interest for things most kids would not be interested in. I liked interacting with people, knowing about people and their life stories; I wanted to help in anyway that I could when I would hear everyone’s problems. I thought outside the box throughout my whole childhood and I wanted to make the most out of my knowledge. I told myself that I was going to dedicate my life to helping my community.
The Birthday Around four-forty in the morning, a lady came to the Reedley hospital to give birth. That baby was coming on their way to the hospital but just on time to give birth, was in a room. The baby was very small and chubby but was truly strong and healthy. This particular baby was soon to be named after her father, Fernando. Fernanda had no problems whatsoever therefore her parents were grateful since there were many children in this world that suffer a great deal for their problems in health.
As a teenager moving to a new country with a different culture, different language, and being thousands of miles away from everyone I grew up with was not an easy change, however, that was precisely what I did in January of 2013 when I came to the United States with my father. My whole world changed since, and shaped my way of thinking. From learning English, adjusting to a new culture, experiencing my first snow and finding my way in my new country, my life has been an exciting adventure. My parents brought me to America almost 5 years ago to have a better life, and to get a better education.
I identify as a Latina. I have always considered myself as a Latina, but throughout time, I believe that I have assimilated more into a white individual because of the privilege that I hold and because I have lived in the US most of my life. I have received mostly negative messages from those who are not from my ethnicity. My peers and I were told we wouldn’t graduate high school and be laborers for the rest of our lives. With the current politics, I believe that this still holds true where some people still hold stereotypes and give oppressing messages to Latinos.
Doning the title as a hispanic goes far beyond how one looks and speaks, but rather how one conducts himself through every step of their life. I greatly contribute my hispanic roots in shaping me into the young man I am today. The morals and traditions instilled in me such as my unparalleled work ethic and family values leach from my upcoming in a strong hispanic lifestyle. My Grandmother and her family immigrated from Mexico at an early age in a dire attempt to discover a life that bettered their quality of life. She had to tolerate working in fields to make money that then fed her at night.
I am very proud of my Hispanic heritage. Even though, I am an United States citizen, I am always going to belong to my Hispanic backgrounds. There are so many reasons that I am proud to be Guatemalan and American that I could write a whole book about it. However, I regularly participate in my Hispanic culture and community through my family, traditions, and by being bilingual.
My most rewarding accomplishment consists of my ability to overcome the fear and weakness that was conceived upon my arrival to the United States from Mexico, in addition to a newly evolved character which allowed me to achieve academic, professional, and personal success. Nearly seven years ago, my mother and I immigrated from a harsh economic climate in Mexico that was plagued with unemployment. Additionally, our family faced bankruptcy. While holding onto our faith, we left our hometown with only what we could carry and bought two one-way bus tickets. With nothing more than fear, two bags, and $50 in each of our pockets, we set out for what would be the most challenging journey of our lives.