I was born in Inglewood, CA son of two immigrant parents. As a young boy, I always knew the importance of education, it was engrained in me by my mother and father. They both grew up in Mexico where they both loved school until their economic hardships forced them to come to the U.S. and work. I was the first generation in my family to go to college and will be the first to pursue a graduate degree. The passion of education that my parents instilled as well as my cultural values drive me to pursue a Ph.D. I want to be able to give back to my community; I hope to fulfill this by conducting research in underrepresented populations, like the Latino population. When I first came to college, I did not have a solid idea of what the experience would be like, but I was excited for this new chapter in my life. I enrolled in courses I though I would excel in but a couple of weeks into the quarter, I felt unprepared for the fast-paced courses that I seemed to be struggling in but that my peers seem to of been excelling in. Early on this cause me some hardships suddenly I did not feel that I was as smart or accomplished as they were. As a result of this my grades in my courses suffered early on. As time progressed, I became friends with a group of people who were also in my similar situation, they were first-generation college students, students, this great support network of students allowed me to gain more confidence in my academic ability and with the help of my lab work, I began to see that I could excel in college. The same feelings of not belonging were mirrored again when I first joined the Social and Emotional Development Lab, it was not that it was not a friendly environment. The people in the lab were warm and welcoming. I knew th... ... middle of paper ... ... the Latino population and made large conclusions about educational outcomes by not fully teasing out the cultural implication. Although it is not necessary for someone from the same ethnic background to conduct research on his or her own community, I do find it to be an asset when it is done. Being a part of the Latino community, I feel that the research with my community as well as other diverse groups is lacking, and my cultural competency is an asset. Being a part of that community really informs the research questions I would like to answer. A Ph.D. will allow me to work in research firms conducting research and advising research studies that deal with a multi cultural and socioeconomic diverse group of people. In my own way, I hope to give back to not only the Latino population but also any underrepresented group by bringing relevant research to the forefront.
Growing up, the biggest challenge I faced was being a first generation Latina student. My family came from an extremely rural neighborhood in Guanajuato, Mexico called La Sandia. Both my parents achieved up to 5th-grade education in their hometowns. They decided to sacrifice their lives in Mexico to provide a better life for their family and then decided to migrate to the U.S to achieve what many people consider the American dream.
Although having a Mexican mother and an American father was not always socially acceptable, growing up with a different food taste, having a close-knit family, as well as regularly getting disciplined shaped how I am as a person today. I was dipped into a very different childhood most children did not grow up into.
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
Immigration has always been an issue in the United States, which is often portrayed as harmful and as major threat to American culture. As a result, various anti immigration policies have been aimed against immigrants in order to prevent and preserve the miscegenation of American culture, such as English only policies. Among the largest minority groups in the U.S, are Latinos who currently compose of 15% of the U.S population (Delgado and Stefancic 3). Unfortunately, Latinos have been accused of taking American benefits, jobs, and have wrongfully been depicted as a result of not assimilating to American culture. Latinos are often accused of resisting assimilation, but what has failed to be acknowledged is that there are obstacles set in place that are preventing Latinos from completely assimilating. Among those greatest obstacles there is discrimination. Institutional as well as individual discrimination have prevented many Latinos from feeling a sense of belonging. As a result Latinos have been reluctant to assimilate. Another major component is proximity. Many Latinos are native to nearby countries which allows for easy communication with family members as well as their culture. Moreover, it also allows for a constant influx of immigrants that replenish and preserve Latino cultures and traditions in the U.S. Lastly, Latino movements are working diligently to promote unity among communities for the purpose of creating a sense of identity and pride amongst Latinos, such as the Chicano movement.
The First part of my research showed more Latinas women are going to college, and their graduation rates have increased faster than any other group of woman. According to Maresshah Jackson (Center for American Progress) November 7 2013. Graduation rates for Latinas where 31.3 percent in 2010, still significantly lower than graduation rate for white woman at 45.8 percent. However, Latinas are the faster- growing female population in the country, but still lower graduation for college Jackson said Latinas hold only 4.4 of the degree earned. Because of these low graduation, rate some, famous people such as actress Eva Longoria have donate, money and time to the University of Los Angeles to hire more Latino teachers to help more Latinas obtain a college education.
A hispanic background is important to me because it is an aspect of my life that defines who I am and allows me to have a closer connection with my family. I identify myself as a hispanic american since these are two heritages that I grew up with. Being hispanic has provided me with many experiences, both good and bad, which have contributed to my personality and values. For example, being hispanic has allowed me to see the benefits and value that having an education can provide and also allows me to experience the support that a family can provide. As a result, I am a motivated student and a committed family member and community contributor. Furthermore, I have had many opportunities that allowed me to grow personally and one of things that
Just like every individual in the U.S., the desire to provide a better life for their families is a driving force for the Latino population. The Latino immigrants not only face discrimination upon their arrival, but also deal with the emotions of being away from their home country, the security of their families, friends, culture, and traditions. The reception that they experience on arrival is far from welcoming. “The negativity towards immigration, be it warranted or not, is not good for our country. It fuels segregation, racism, prejudice, and discrimination” (Lopez, 2010). Illegal immigration has become such a hot topic for many that even when immigrants arrive legally they are still met with suspicion. I think one of the most offensive titles given to a group of people is illegal “aliens”. These individuals are not aliens; they are human beings with dreams of a better life just like everyone else. Today, Latinos are proud of their culture and heritage and even though they attempt to assimilate into the American culture, through pluralism they are retaining their own, as well. They continue to converse in their native languages within their families, listen to music and watch Spanish television programs. Where in the past the melting pot theory led many to discard their native language and culture in order to fit in, today many are embracing these ideals, which may be a contributing factor in the continued discrimination (Lopez, 2010).
An individual’s interaction with others and the world around them can enrich or limit their experience of belonging.
I decided to research the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda and the National Council of La Raza because I was interested in learning about interest groups that could possibly influence me and people of my race or ethnicity. I am not part of an interest group but this research has influenced me to want to participate in one.
Being a first generation college student has been my biggest struggle in life. For years, I was told to attend Allen Community College before any big changes of course I didn’t listen. For years I was told I wouldn’t last in a big university, I have been told I will be unprepared and behind. I have been told that three out of five first generations students do not complete a degree. Being told something isn’t possible is a hard thing to deal with.
During my early education, meaning elementary school and middle school, I was a very average student. I gave an average amount of effort to my grades, and I received above average results. This did not bother me, until the end of my 8th-grade year. At this point in the year, I was filling out what classes I desired to take the following year, my freshman year. I realized that from this point forward, I had to take my education much more serious, in order to get accepted to whichever college I desired. therefore, when planning my classes, I decided to challenge myself more than I ever have in the past, and take multiple honors courses. I assumed because of my grades, that I had what it took to be an honors-level student, but I was very wrong. One teacher, Mrs. Johnson, made me realize the kind of effort, time and energy needed to be devoted to my education.
My ultimate motivation is to go above and beyond the stereotypes and assumptions about Latinos, even when I am surrounded by a society of negativity. It is often a struggle for undocumented immigrants to get the full benefits
Academics has always been an important part of my life. Ever since I was a young child my parents have pushed me to lead good life academically. All throughout grade school I have had decent grades (generally speaking in the nineties or above), and I owe this, at least partly, to my parent's determination to give me the best possible education. I also owe this to my will to be at the top of my academic game. This was naturally quite easy for me up until my senior year of high school. When my senior year came around, there was a lot of pressure on me to make a lot of life changing decisions. When all of this was put on me, the last thing that i wanted to do was change the way i was living. I loved the way my life was, and going away from home to college wasn't something that i felt i was ready to do. Because of this i decided to enroll in Genesee Community College, which is about five minutes away from my house.
Belongingness a fundamental need of every human to feel valued in the society they live and work. Sense of belonging is important to see value in life and to cope painful, stressful and challenging situations. According to one study (Sandra et al 2014 paper 7) “belongings is critical for both educational and professional socialisation process.” Sense of belong enables students to build confidence and produce abilities of critical thinking and problem solving skills. Welcoming atmosphere and acceptance by clinical staff produce feelings they are part of clinical team, which lead to a rich learning experience.
Living up to my resolution, I joined several clubs, both in and out of school and academic and recreational. I also met some of my very best friends in high school. Achieving all of this, friends, memberships to academic clubs and good grades, made up my first successful experience in high school. I was driven by the years in middle school and the promise that I made to myself at the end of eighth grade. Throughout my under classmen years I exceled in all subjects and thoroughly enjoyed the clubs I had joined. I think my downfall for the last two years of school was that I took for granted my good grades and as my classes got more rigorous I didn’t change the way I learned the material, but continued on the same path that I had been following my entire academic career, even when my grades were slipping slightly. Halfway through my senior year, I realized I needed to change the way I was learning the curriculum my instructors were teaching. I’ve always been the type of student to take good notes or listen to a lecture and understand everything the first time around, as was the case in elementary school and middle school. But my more rigorous classes proved to be a challenge for me and I did not know the proper way of learning the material on my own. I started by asking more questions in class and then going to my friends for help on subjects I didn’t understand. After many questions and after school tutor