I Am A Second Generation Mexican American And The Last Of Seven Children

Being first generation Mexican American to me is a title that comes with responsibility as well as an opportunity. Growing up, parents always preach to their eldest children that their actions have the consequences of impacting their younger siblings. I believe that as first generation Hispanics, it is our duty to build a strong foundation that later generations may build on. Whenever I think of being Hispanic, the word heritage comes to mind. In the frame of being an ethic minority in America, it is important for new generations to learn about their individual history and culture. As human beings we find comfort in what we are accustom too; For example I often get advice from friends living on their own saying “leaving home is the hardest

My parents come from a small town in Michoacán, Mexico. Growing up, my first language was Spanish. There were situations where I would be embarrassed of my parents for not knowing how to speak English. People would give mean looks and give off a rude tone because of the fact they couldn't speak English. I was a shy person, so I didn't know how to defend my parents but those experiences shaped me into the person who is not embarrassed about having Mexican parents and helps them around with their English. I am a proud and lucky to be the daughter of Mexican parents. Aside from that, I had been an only child till I was eight years old. The day my sister was born, I knew she will be my best friend forever. She is now ten years old and looks up

To be Mexican-American is to unconditionally love one’s family and all it stands for. Mexican-Americans are an incredibly close-knit group of people, especially when it comes to family. We are probably the only culture that can actually recite the names of our fourth cousins by heart. In this respect our families are like clans, they go much further than the immediate family and very deep into extended families. (p. 173)

I am Mexican-American. I am also happy to identify myself as such. My parents came to America when they were teenagers so up until this day, some of those traditions from Mexico are still carried with them today. These traditions were then brought down to me. They also became accustomed to the way people do things here in America, so it was very easy for me growing up, having the best of both worlds.

Being Hispanic is a big part of who I am. I am proud to represent a race that is so full with hard working people with big aspirations and diverse culture. I am proud to be a female Hispanic that will be the first generation in my family that will go to a four year

I’m an American grown up with Mexican roots; with all their traditions, religious beliefs, holidays, and foods. I come from a small town of south Texas, called The Rio Grande Valley, where I live with my average size family. I’ve grown up with my family facing hardships, and flaws yet united always. As time has gone by I’ve come to learn that everything around me has shaped me to be the young lady I am today, and I’m grateful for that.

Hispanic parents are known for many different characteristics and habits that make their children’s lives unique to other cultures. Such as how in order to go out you had to slave away the day before or even hours before in order

This class has not only reinforced my cultural beliefs, but it has also challenged some preconceived notions of all cultures. I am a first generation Mexican American. My parents were born in Mexico and came to American 25 years ago. In contrast, I was born and raised in California with my older and younger brother. My brothers and I constantly struggled between two distinctive cultural norms— the Mexican culture, and the American culture. My parents are from a small town called San Juan De Los Lagos in Jalisco, Mexico. San Juan is centered on religion¬– it is the home of La Virgin De San Juan, Henceforth, both of my parents were reinforced with strict religious values. My mother attended an all girls catholic primary school. My father was less fortunate and had to attend public primary school, however, since San Juan is grounded on religion, public schools also integrated reliogious values. My parents constantly compare and complain about the lack of values schools in the Unites States teach in their curriculum. Things like: respect your elders, and proper etiquette skills. Due to stricter boundaries here in the U.S, I can see why integrated such things can become problematic. For example, both of my parents experienced physically getting scolded with a ruler for things like: talking back to professors, being disruptive, and even for having dirty fingernails or a messy appearance. Although my parents were raised in strict catholic environments, they have not reinforced

I am a U.S. born citizen. My parents moved to the United States in 1984 without knowing anything about this country. Looking for a fresh start and new opportunities, my parents settled in Houston. With hardly knowing any English, my parents knew this was the place to make dreams become a reality. Luckily, I had older siblings to look up to whenever I needed help. Like Lahiri, I was trapped in between two different cultures while I was growing up. At home, I only spoke Spanish, but in school it was English. My habits and customs were different than others. Life as an immigrant’s offspring can be very difficult. As I grew older, I allowed myself to open my eyes and see the beauty of being an American from Hispanic descent.

I am third-generation Puerto Rican American. Although some do not see me as black, my race is black, my ethnicity is Puerto Rican, and my nationality is American. I grew in a city where 39.3 percent of the population is Hispanic. Growing up in urban city where a large percentage of the population is Hispanic shaped who I am, what I have learned, and the struggles I overcame.

Born to Peggy and Edward Garcia on October 4th 1984, I am a third generation American. My grandfather was born in Mexico and my father was born in New Mexico, while I was born at Fort Lewis Washington, I am a Soldiers Son. While growing up my father was stationed at various bases throughout the United States and I was “lucky” enough to tag along.

I am a first generation Mexican-American that comes from humble beginnings and was instilled to work hard to achieve ones dreams. My parents are humble, earnest, and hardworking people that immigrated to the United States in search of a better tomorrow for themselves and for their loved ones back home. Coming to this country was not easy, for they faced many obstacles in getting here and then assimilating into a culture where they knew no one and did not know the language.

I was born very early and had teenage parents who did not really have their life together at that time. My parents were both high school dropouts. My dad dropped out because school was not for him and he just wanted to work and get money and my mom dropped out because school was not for her also and she was pregnant with me and did not want to deal with school. My dad worked everyday to keep our family moving and my mom just stayed at my grandmas house with me because obviously she had to take care of me. So we were living by paycheck to paycheck. One year later my sister was born and two years later after that my other sister was born. Since my parents really did not have that much money to get our own place we would live at my grandmas house to my papa’s house but at times we would have to camp out at the beach because we had no other choice. When we would live at the beach I would think that we were just camping for fun but I did not realize that we did not have any place to stay. My parents clothed me and my sisters, provided food for us, but we did not have a house over our head. So

Being the oldest, I grew up with many responsibilities. I have always been the one to set the example, create the right path, and be the role model for my younger siblings. My single mother worked day and sometimes even nights to provide us all with what we needed, never failing to keep a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs, so she along with my brother and sister became my motivation to become the best I can be. I knew schooling would be an issue for us economically; there was no way my mother could ever help me pay and there was no way I would allow her to overwork herself. So I made the decision to leave home at the age of seventeen and move to Oregon. Becoming a resident of Oregon allows me to afford schooling at a much better cost, even if it means being so far away. It is very difficult being distant from my family, but I am doing this for them. Finally, I reached the moment in my life where I saw what was most important to me and it was to be the best I can be for my family.

I’m an immigrant. I was born in Mexico and it was only until my parents decided to come to the United States that I am where I am. My mother tried to cross the border to come to the United States for the first time when I was still in her womb all by herself as my father was already in the Unites States working in order to provide for her in the way that he wasn’t able to do so by staying in Mexico. My mother was caught by immigration and was sent back. My mother was very disappointed because she knew that if she didn’t get me to the United States some way or another I wouldn’t get very far in life by staying in Mexico. My father returned back to Mexico when I was born and it wasn’t until I was 4 years old that they decided to try to cross the border once again. Although I was only 4 years old I remember the whole experience as if it was yesterday. The amount of fear of getting caught by immigration and having done everything for nothing was always in the back of my mind while going through the whole experience. Up to this day nothing has ever been as terrifying and nerve-wrecking as having to go through that whole experience especially for a 4 year old child but I will forever be grateful for the bravery and strength that my parents had to gather in