Personal Narrative: My Hispanic Heritage

Since before I was born, my Hispanic heritage played a huge role in who I am and what I have achieved. My great-grandfather immigrated to this country with the desire to provide his family with a better future than his own. My grandpa grew up in Texas on the boarder of Mexico and traveled to Blue Island, Illinois as migrant crop worker. This desire passed down by my grandparents and my great-grandparents has played a tremendous role in propelling me to where I am today. Each generation sought to make the the lives of their children better than their own. My grandma received the opportunity to live in the country of opportunity from her father, and my grandpa paid for my mom to get an education. My mother pushed me to do my best in school and

The Christian faith has been a major legacy left by my great-grandfather. My great-grandfather started a Spanish church in Blue Island, Illinois, and raised his family in the ways of the Lord. He taught his children the importance of having a strong foundation in the Word and the importance of coming to church. His legacy is evident in the lives of his children and grandchildren. Even when at times different family members have walked away from the Lord, their strong foundation as children has often times brought them back to God. My grandma and my mom both had similar experiences, and if it had not been for the strong foundation in the Word of God, God only knows where they would be today and if I would even exist. I grew up in church, and have a personal relationship with God, that will enable me to be apart of the Christian culture at Southeastern

Much of my family still lives in the area where my great-grandfather settled and started his church. My great-uncle now pastors his father’s church and lots of family members attend his church regularly. My grandma’s family has always been big on getting the family back together, and they hold a family reunion every two years in Blue Island. I have only had the privilege of being a part of a couple Contreras family reunions, but when I have been, the overwhelming sense of family and inclusion stood out to me. My Mexican family taught me what it means to love family unconditionally and it doesn’t even matter if we didn’t grow up together, we are still family. No matter what life throws your way, you always will have family, and I hope to embody this sense of family in my own someday. My family has shaped who I am as a person, and prepared me to be the type of person that has a positive impact on the people around me. I believe that I can have a positive impact on my fellow students at Southeastern