“Personal Statement #1 Growing up in a Mexican household where education isn’t a priority or important has been one of my major obstacles that I’ve had to overcome. Although my family’s culture believes that education isn’t necessary their experiences and lifestyles have influence and motivate my choices for my future. I come from a home where I have no role model or someone influential. I have no one to ask for advice for college or anything involve in school. In most homes, older siblings help their younger siblings with their homework or projects but in my house no one was able to provide me with any help. I grew up to be independent and to do anything school related on my own. My parents are both immigrants who didn’t get to finish elementary …show more content…
If someone was to ask me two years ago what I wanted to be I would have greeted them with silence. Before I was a very anti-social person and I didn’t really like speaking much in front of a public, audience, or even my small group of friends. I was the type of girl who preferred staying home in the weekends and watch Netflix instead of going out. But everything changed when I went on a missionary trip with my church to Mexicali. The church I attend has a group of volunteers who go every 2-3 months on the weekends to Mexicali. In these trips we distribute clothes, food, essentials, toys, and candies for all the kids and people in Mexico that live in poverty. Many people who live there live in harsh conditions and are struggling to provide a home for their families. My first trip was a life changing experience because it changed the person who I was. I became an active and outgoing person. I became to appreciate and value the possessions I have at home. Every time I see the kids at Mexicali content when they receive a pair of shoes or a piece sandwich it makes me pleased of myself because I’m able to help them with what I can. Throughout these series of trips I discover my passion and how I have a soft spot for kids. Since Mexicali and where I live have a very large driving distance and I can’t go every day I also volunteer to help kids and adults around my community also. I have help
In Subtractive Schooling: US-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring, Angela Valenzuela investigates immigrant and Mexican American experiences in education. Valenzuela mentions differences in high schools between U.S born youth and immigrants such as how immigrants she interviewed seemed to achieve in school as they feel privileged to achieve secondary education. However, she found that her study provided evidence of student failure due to schools subtracting resources from these youths. Both are plagued by stereotypes of lacking intellectual and linguistic traits along with the fear of losing their culture. As a Mexican American with many family members who immigrated to the U.S to pursue a higher education, I have experience with Valenzuela’s
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
I was raised in an encouraging household where both of my parents greatly valued education. Although they were high school graduates, neither could afford to attend college; a combination of family and financial woes ultimately halted their path. As a result, my parents frequently reminded me that getting a good education meant better opportunities for my future. To my parents, that seemed to be the overarching goal: a better life for me than the one they had. My parents wanted me to excel and supported me financially and emotionally of which the former was something their parents were not able to provide. Their desire to facilitate a change in my destiny is one of many essential events that contributed to my world view.
Becoming Mexican- American has been such a great book so far! I truly favored how Sanchez focused on factors that contributed to the migration of so many across the border north to the United States during the first many years of the twentieth century. During that time, immigrants experienced groups of people trying to Americanize and Mexicanize them and their people. This is a fascinating topic, and Sanchez pulls it off really well. It makes it better because Sanchez is Mexican-American himself, the son of Mexican immigrants, and his sensitivity to the nuances of the culture are very apparent throughout the book. It is the story of the creation of the Mexican-American culture, specifically in the early 1900's in Los Angeles. In addition, also in Los Angeles, Majority of the immigrants would experience the efforts to Americanize them, which was then proceeded by counter attempts to mechanize the immigrants to maintain their loyalty and to return to Mexico. This back and forth contribution developed a Mexican American identity, which was evident in food, and clothes. For example, it was particularly evident in the
While I do take great pride in my family's culture, I take even greater pride in the fact that I can bring my unique ideas to a school with a latino minority. My mother has always reminded me to be humble, to be myself, but most importantly to never forget where I came from. Having grown up in the inner city of Los Angeles, I was surrounded by undocumented Latinos. As I grew older, I became aware of the limited chances that we latinos have in society. Teenagers in my neighborhood, saw no future in college, turned to the streets for a life of crime. Choosing early on not to succumb to peer pressure and the crime in my gang-infested neighborhood, I wanted a different path. I worked hard at school, participated in sports, joined clubs, and sought
As an only child, born to immigrant parents from Peru, my upbringing was vastly different from many of my friends and peers. My parents are not English speakers, they are not college graduates and they do not work in a corporate environment. Unable to relate to their life guidance since their experiences were not similar to my future, from the onset, I had to quickly learn to be self-reliant by developing a determination within me to overcome obstacles others normally wouldn’t encounter.
Students in both the United States and Mexico are facing a similar problem that concerns inequality in education. In the United States, the problem seems to impact females, students who are gifted, and students who have disabilities. There is a highly structured, uniform way of approaching education in the United States. Standardized tests and the newly implemented Common Core create a huge stressor for any students who are different from the average student. In Mexico, females face cultural expectations that prevent them from seeing education as an important part of life. Women are not expected to attend post-secondary or even secondary school. Therefore, women face adversity in school. Everyone deserves to receive a free and equal
The path that brought me across the border of Mexico to the United States has also brought me along this path to law school. My parents divorced in 1994 and the lack of economic opportunities for a single mother produced her difficult decision to leave Ecuador on July 15, 1995. My sister, two cousins, and I left on a weeklong journey in pursuit of a better life. At 13 months old I was taken from my mother’s arms by a coyote and I crossed the Mexican border alone that day. I admire the risk and multiple jobs my mom worked to bring me to the United States to pursue a dream and I understand the choice that many immigrants take to do the same.
Education for me serves as a distraction and keeps me focused on the future. Coming from a big family I have the pressure to finish school and have a career in order to help my parents. Being a first-generation college student adds to the pressure since my parents are not aware of the resources or the struggles I need to overcome. But my biggest challenge comes from siblings. Since I struggle with math, I had to retake math and I just feel that I cannot go to my sisters for help because of fear of being criticized or seen as dumb. However, being part of the Puente program has encouraged me to become involved with my education, and seek help from professors, counselors, tutors and mentors. For instance, it has allowed me to ask for help and to accept it as well, and by seeking further help by taking the time to study and practice my learning abilities.
First of all, it is common to not have a college or high school education in an immigrant family. Due to the poor opportunities and circumstances in many Hispanic countries, most of its residents don’t study in order to work. Immigrant families sacrifice their education and well-being in order to translate their
I had the privilege of growing up in Mexico; therefore, Spanish has always played a huge role in my life. I have always known that I wanted to incorporate Spanish into my professional career. While I have had the opportunity to utilize my Spanish during my time as a staff nurse in the Level II nursery at MUSC; I would love nothing more than being able to utilize my bilingual ability as an advanced practice nurse. Achieving a Doctorate of Nursing Practice would meet my professional goals because it would allow me to secure a provider role in the primary care of the pediatric Hispanic population.
Growing up I was always the go-to guy when it was out of both my parents reach. Reading and trying to translate government letters my parents would get in the mail, selling and trading trucks on craigslist, ordering phone cases, etc. I was about 13 and did my all to satisfy everyone's favor. A lot of the ti
I roll my r’s with pride and that pride carries me through my journey of being a first generation Mexican-American. I was born and raised in the town of Salinas, also referred to as the “salad bowl”. Beaming in culture, Salinas also possesses a dark side due to gang violence soliciting each young member of my town. Immigrating to the United States, my parents’ initial priority was to find a job rather than an education in order to survive and keep me away from the darker Salinas. To make sure of this, my parents always encouraged me to try my best in school and make it my main focus. At a young age I began to notice disadvantages I had including the lack of resources at school. Realizing we only had 5 books for about 30 students, I felt unmotivated
Having both of parents with me is a great blessing. They are there when I need helping
To begin with. Let us hear some background information, I was raised in Mexico for eight years, where I took my elementary education, and basics of middle school; then I moved back to Brownsville, Texas, here I started 8th grade, where I experienced a culture shock. This relatively new society had a free-caring nature, oblivious of the world outside their vicinity.