Personal Narrative: Growing Up In Venezuela

As the first and only child in my family to attend college, I represent “Diversity”. My Hispanic heritage and culture has shaped my life by instilling the strong values and principles that Hispanic families and community’s share. Furthermore, my cultural roots have greatly influenced my current journey and have helped me learn and develop as a leader. The professional, academic, and career opportunities I am learning now is what sets me apart from everyone else, and I believe my strong leadership potential and commitment to my fellow peers are essential to becoming an innovative leader.

A paradigm I have come to believe from my years growing up in a Caribbean household to parents with limited education is that there is something wrong with Americans. I am first generation American and that is something my mother claimed to regret even now in my adult years. Growing up I can distinctly remember my mother always saying that there is something wrong with Americans.It was when she would watch some disturbing story on the news, or when her family would call updating about some latest scandal, it was anytime she found something wrong with the world then something was wrong with America.

“Wow...there is no way you’re Latino. You’re way too white!” was the ignorant remark made by a one of my peers during my school’s annual Latin-American Fest. Initially, hearing this claim made me look into the mirror. I began to stroke my face and examine my physical features. Was this true? Was I not Latino enough? Did the amount of melanin or lack thereof deem me as Latino?

As a Hispanic American, I have been exposed to the beauty of my ancestors culture, while living in a country with one of its own. Being the first generation to be born in the United States of America, coming from a family whose roots deeply stem from the Dominican Republic, is an interesting dynamic. While my family is well adjusted to living in the States, they still celebrate as if they were back in their birthplace. They eat, drink, and dance as if they were back home. They speak Spanish to each other despite knowing perfect English. They remind us first generation kids, how privileged we are to be born in the States. As an American, my lifestyle and culture is evidently different than that of my family. I, among my Hispanic American millennial

Since the moment I opened my rejection letter, I have pondered what may have caused my rejection. Yes, my GPA isn’t perfect and I have withdraws on my transcript, but my story is far more than a couple of numbers. Growing up in a Latino culture we have different social expectations in our lives. In Latino culture, working is far more important than studying. Consequently throughout my childhood, being the oldest child of 3 it was my responsibility to help my mother and father work. I started from the age of 7, helping them anyway I could. Whether it be helping my father clean carpets or helping my mother perform house cleanings. It was Lenelle Moise who said, “The children of immigrants don't get to be children. We lose our innocence watching

Having been raised in a single parent household from a young age, I developed a strong work ethic. Watching my mother struggle at times raising my brother and me has helped me to see how essential it is to have a college education to achieve my ultimate goal in life, which is to become a psychiatrist and assist those in struggles similar to the ones I’ve faced.

-I learned error, I made it the Dominican Republic and was to have given affection, friendship and confidence to people who did not deserve. This happened out of nowhere and It was created a serious mistake in my life, people existed which gave him affection, help and there was no care about anything. I started to love and treat them like family to me, they were people who shared daily, at school, my free time and the more things. Always looking for the best for everyone on Regardless nothing, always I wanted to know how they were, everything.

When I was 4 years old, my mother decided to send me and my siblings to live with our grandparents in Honduras. I was born in Long Beach, CA, USA, however, my mother was struggling to give us a better life working as a housekeeper, and it wasn’t until I was 12 years old that we were reunited in New York. Nevertheless, my mother’s sacrifice to send my siblings and me to her country was indeed positive; hence, today am bilingual and have respect for diversity.

Upon our arrival to The Dominican Republic, my mother informed me that we were going to spend most of our vacation at my grandparent’s house. Immediately, I was filled with exhilaration. After so many years, I would finally visit my beloved grandparents. I had already visualized what spending the summer at their house would be like. Rolling in the sand of the clear see-through beaches, listening to the birds sing and chirp around us as we savor our early morning breakfast, enjoying the sound of waves smashing into the rocks on the shore, and laying in an air-conditioned room when the temperature got too high.

Who am I? I am a person that likes getting her job done. I am a teenager that is always there when a friend or a family needs an advice or any help on anything I am positive about many things I am a person that is calm relaxing and stay away from conflict who am I? I am Elizanne Barrios a person that will never give up in life until I accomplish my dreams because that’s why I came to America to succeed.

The first day of my life took place in a military hospital in Wurzburg, Germany. My father was an officer in the U.S. Army and my mother stayed in the home. While living in Germany I attended a German school where my brother and I were the only students who spoke English. Despite the fact that we did not speak the same language, we were able to interact the same way most young children would. As an adult I have often thought that my desire to travel and search for diverse human relationships was influenced by my early childhood.

One grand adventure that I went on this summer was a missions trip to the Dominican Republic. It was probably the best two weeks of my life and not a day goes by that I don’t think about it and want so badly to go back. I didn’t always have those feelings though… The first couple days were pretty rough from lack of sleep, being in a totally new environment in a country I have never been before, being way out of comfort zone and being slightly home sick. The first full day at our site I nearly had a panic attack because I just couldn't get over the language barrier and that was the first time I have ever worked with kids. I just felt so helpless and that I was’t showing these kids God’s love. But I was because just being there for them showed them God’s love.

I was born in dominican republic santiago in May 21, 1997. I'm 19 years old. My weight is 132 pound and my height is 5.9 feet. My skin color is dark and my eyes color are black. My favorite color is yellow and my favorite singer is Daddy Yankee. I'm a student from Bronx Community College. My major is Liberal Arts & Biology because I want something related with medicine. Now I was thinking about become a physical therapy or doctor with a specialization in pediatric.

The second to last class and I was starting to feel it. This class went by so fast I couldn’t believe it! I was excited, but a little scared for today. I was excited to go see the Upper East Side and see the park of Central Park that I have never seen before, but I was also scared because we were going to Harlem and I heard not so nice things about this neighborhood from my neighbor who is a cop in Harlem, but at the same time I was still excited to see a new neighborhood I have never seen before.

Growing up in a Chinese family sharing their traditional beliefs and in a different cultural environment, Dominican Republic, have make me feel inferior to the ones surrounding me; since they are fill with expectations and judgments. In most of Asian tradition the oldest are expected to have more responsibility and be an example for the youngest siblings. My parents are business person, who are always working and didn’t spend much time at home. Indeed, I played my parents role and took all the responsibilities at home. Since I was 13, I cook, clean, and take care my youngest siblings.