Personal Narrative: Miss Hispanic Delaware

Coming from a Mexican immigrant family I have learned to recognize since a very young age that because of the status that my parents are placed in they cannot pursue a better future like the one I want. I have been given the opportunity to challenge myself with obtaining a higher education than just high school itself. My parents have demonstrated to me through their hard work that I have to value this opportunity unless I want to end up with low paying job. My life long dedication comes from seeing my parents make sacrifices in order for my education to continue.

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.

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

Being Hispanic to me means traditions. It means my home and my loving family. Being Hispanic also means being hard working. I was born in a humble small town in Michoacan, Mexico. My parents decided to come to the United States looking for a better future for our family. They had to leave the land that had watched them grow in order to come to an unknown land, where the future was a giant blur. But what they didn’t leave behind was their love for their native country. I grew up in a household where Spanish was only spoken and tortillas were always at the table. I grew up loving authentic Mexican food and speaking Spanish fluently. When I was in kindergarten my teacher was afraid that I would be behind the rest of my classmates. My parents couldn't help me learn English since they didn’t know it either. I was fortunate to have a kind teacher who was willing to tutor me for free everyday after school. By the end of elementary school my English improved. As I grew

Leaving home at the age of 18, loving on my own, figuring how to become an adult, and moving out to college, there were many things being thrown at me in which I was not fully prepared for them. Moving out at 18 is normal for any high school graduate in The United States. Being a Mexican American women it was more than just the net step to life , but a huge accomplishment. Being ascribed into a poor family increased the desire to move forward. My parents did not want me to follow their footsteps into the world of low waged labor, they wanted more. Growing up all I heard from teachers and family members was to go to college. For many it’s the normal thing for a high school graduate to do. For me it was more than socialization it was the path

Much to my own embarrassment, my Hispanic heritage had been a thing I hardly thought of. My Father left my family when I was young, and with him went the hopeful wisps I had of learning about myself. It’s not to say that I wasn’t aware that I was Hispanic, but rather, growing up in a mainly white household I didn’t think I had any right to claim my ethnicity. However, the more I look around me and learn about the community Hispanics have grown accustomed to, the more I find that I understand where I came from. To me, being Hispanic isn’t about what you were told when you were younger, or the traditions you grew up with. Rather, being Hispanic is about learning where you come from, and learning about those who share your same heritage. ‘Hispanic’

“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?

My Hispanic culture is exceedingly unique contrast to other cultures because we have countless of beliefs, holidays, lifestyles, etc. My world of Hispanic culture raised me to become an independent and determined person because being the first generation of a Hispanic family to attend college has my family beyond thrilled for me to put value to our heritage. Putting value in our heritage is a magnificent emotion because people anticipate Hispanics to fail; but, we prove them wrong when we accomplish our goals. The Hispanic culture’s strength is unbelievably astonishing because we are ambitious of our dreams and we don’t cease until we fulfill our wish. Including the Hispanic culture at University of Washington may open people’s mind that we

Hispanic heritage is an important concept that surrounds my entire life. I have lived in Puerto Rico during my whole childhood. This culture has been important in my life because it helps define who I am and how I view the world. Both of my biological parents are Dominican, but I lived with my mother and step-dad in Puerto Rico. It was not until I moved to the United States that I began to become more aware of different ethnic groups. The United States has been called the “melting pot” society. Newcomers to this country were expected to adapt their “old world” values and culture to fit the values and lifestyles of the “new world” (An Overview of Diversity Awareness, n.d.).

The American Dream for everyone alike is to prosper and succeed in a land that individuals are determined to call their own. Almost every immigrant that has entered the United States has done so in hopes of finding a better life for themselves and for their families. For most Hispanic-Americans, the goal was the same. Hispanic-Americans come from a variety of different Spanish-speaking countries. Just as the wave of immigrants from Europe came to the United States of America in the late 1800's and early 1900's, Hispanics came from places like Mexico, South and Central America, and the Caribbean Islands. Although everyone came with the same goal in mind, to make sure their families would have a better life in a new environment, each subgroup within the Hispanic community faced different circumstances once they arrived in the United States and have different definitions of what it feels like to be an American.

Socorro Alvarez is the Hispanic Outreach Director at Western Avenue Community Center in Bloomington, Illinois. Mrs. Alvarez has been at the center for over 20 years. She came to the United States, from Mexico, when she was seventeen. She was the oldest in the family and her Father did not think she should go to high school or college. He thought she needed to find a husband and stay close to the family because it was her responsibility as the oldest. Espinoza (2010), states this is a common value in Hispanic families, that comes from the value Marianismo. This is a value that has an expectation that a “good Latina woman” will always place family above her own needs (Espinoza, 2010). Socorro says that her father encouraged the rest of the children to attend both high school and college.

I am a daughter of Mexican immigrants and was raised in California’s rural and underserved Central Valley. As a child, I was exposed to the daily challenges immigrant communities face in California exemplified by the experiences of my own family. Residents of Arvin, CA, my hometown, are primarily Latino immigrants, low-income, employed in agricultural labor, and lack access to educational opportunities. In my community, access to fair housing, healthcare, employment, and living wages are limited and social service resources are scarce. When I moved to Berkeley, CA to pursue my bachelor’s degree, I was motivated to serve Latino communities in the Bay Area facing similar social and political obstacles as my hometown as I recognized the need for social and policy improvements.

I think that Hispanic Americans are changing American culture more so than they are assimilating. One of my good childhood friends, Jonathan Arenas, was 100% Mexican. Both of his parents were born and raised in Mexico before moving to the United States to start a family. I can recall going to his house all the time and thinking how different everything was. His family was one of the most kind and genuine group of individuals that I have ever met. Everything from the smell of their house, the food they made, and they way they spoke was unlike any other household that I grew up around. His birthdays were always a fun event to go to as well because they had traditions like no other. Every year there was always a piñata and we all got to take turns

My ideas to inspire and engage my generation of Hispanics is to go to college and show how we can all make it to our dreams. Even though there might be hoops and things we have to go through to be able to get there. Showing my achievements can show other people how they are able to also get there. In addition, provide my help with my services and whatever I can do to help other people get where they want to be. I want to be able to show what I have done, even though I might had going through extra loops due to limitations and different challenges were not enough to stop me to go where I want to go.

I am a true victim of discrimination. As a Latina, living and being raised in The United States has been challenging. One of my earliest memories of being discriminated was back in high school. It was my freshman year there were so many things going through my mind such as would I be liked, would I make friends, but come on we all know the moments of crisis can take people by surprise well it did to me on a Monday morning. It was very windy made the tree branches dance literally no kidding as I was walking to school I noticed the entrance was crowded made it even worse it took me 10 minutes to get inside. As we arrived to our classes I notice I had Spanish first period. We had to introduce our self with details.