Hispanic People In America

Latinos and Hispanics are highly associated with every aspect of the United States. Colorado, as one of the most Hispanic-populated states in America, is deeply influenced by Hispanic culture and history. Exploring Hispanics living in Colorado and listening to their stories and ideas can be essential to understanding the United States. Therefore, I interviewed two Latino students currently enrolled at the University of Denver, including Herick Acosta and Gabe Marcano, and attended an educational lecture titled Leadership for a Multicultural Age: New Approaches to Leadership from Latino Communities by Juana Bordas.
Before this research, I have observed many other Hispanics working in United States for lowest-paid job, heard stories about them

Even though he was born in the United States, his parents are illegal immigrants. As the first generation in his family to enter go to college, Herick is was academically outstanding in his high school. He designed his own webpage in high school while working at in several technological companies to sustain helping his family financially. I asked him how he felt in his high school. His answer surprised me. “Public schools in Denver that admit both white and Hispanic students divide the whole class into two different sections. One part is equipped with the best teachers and resources whereas the other one has the worst teachers and has totally different study pattern.” “Then which part were you in?” I asked. “My school had a test at the beginning of freshmen year of high school to divide students. Since I did well, I was placed in the better group. Hispanics on the other hand were underprivileged and therefore at a disadvantage because they were not properly educated in middle school.” Herick was one of the exceptions who realized the inequality and worked extremely hard to make it into the better part of his high school. The segregation Herick experienced in high school reminded me of Mendez v. Westminster’s story in which Hispanics students were sent to different schools intentionally opposed to different classes. However, even if when he, with his own effort, made it into the better part of his high school tried making the best of it, he

from Nicaragua on a banana boat.3 As the youngest daughter in a family of eight, she was the first generation to go to college. During her talk, she is always appreciative of the opportunities her mother brought her. Her mother used to be a house keeper and dishwasher, working hard to pay for her children’s education. Bordas stressed that her mother successfully defines what a leader is in the context of Hispanic leadership due to her devotion to her family. Collectivism within the Hispanic community that Bordas lived in shaped her sense of value and cultivated her as a leader for the next new generation. She is the advisor to Harvard’s Hispanic Journal on Public Policy and the Kellogg National Fellows Program and the trustee of the International Leadership Association.4 “Their vision, determination, and sacrifice taught me the essence of Servant Leadership." Her early years would instill in her a desire to make a contribution, give back, and to assist other Latinos to find their place in