Entre Fronteras

Pride in My Story

I am very happy and proud to share my story as the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents because I want my parents to know that I am beyond proud of them and that I am who I am and that I am where I am because of who they are. I am happy and proud to share my story because I never had anyone validate my experience and feelings as the daughter of immigrants, which is why I want to be that person for someone else. I know that someone, somewhere in the world must be feeling the exact same way, and they will be able to relate with my story and will know that they are not alone, that their feelings are valid, and that it's important to fight against the systems that tell us we aren't good enough do something or be someone based on the color of our skin and where we come from.

I have always been a strong believer that when you work hard and are dedicated to overcoming the barriers in your path, you will succeed even when it all seems to be against you. While creating this piece, I was able to explore and firmly express many thoughts and feelings that I had not been able to share outside of my immediate social circles. I've been encouraged by this experience to better understand what it means to be caught between two different cultures and how I can pave a path for those who will come next in line. I have learned that being caught between two different cultures is very difficult, especially when trying to navigate certain spaces that were not initially designed for people of color, like me.

However, by claiming the spaces that were not meant for me I am showing an act of resistance. To me, that signifies the beauty of belonging to two different cultures, because I can battle against systems of oppression in both cultures. This is also very meaningful to me because it is a reminder that as I am taking ownership of places that weren't meant for me. I am leaving traces of my parents' story as Mexican Immigrants, in addition to my own trace as the daughter of Mexican immigrants.

Daughter of Immigrants

As the daughter of immigrant parents, navigating systems was difficult because of the lack of support and cultural services available to my parents in Spanish. At a very young age, like most children of immigrants, I was translating for my parents at doctor's appointments, at the bank, and helping paying bills over the phone. As time went by, my talent of translating became known to the world and I was soon translating for neighbors and close family friends who didn't speak English either.

The immigration stories of my parents and those who I have helped along the way have heavily influenced the career path I chose to take. I decided to become a social worker to be the support in my community that I never had. I want to advocate for the Latino community and offer the connection to resources and services necessary for them to thrive in this country and preserve their well-being without being afraid of asking for help. I want to validate each person's experience and empower them to reach their full potential. As a social worker, I would be representative of my community and would demonstrate that we are all capable of reaching our goals and that if we don't see the change in our communities, then we have the responsibility to become that change.

Making a Difference

In addition to learning more about my identity and how I can leave a mark in the world, I have learned more about my personal interests by working on this digital piece. I really enjoyed the process of organizing all of my photos and syncing them with the music and narration. I had never really thought that I could share my story through this platform, but I am very happy with the results. This has been a way for people to listen to the great emotion that is carried by each moment in my life and how this has led up to where I am now.

Working on this piece sparked new ideas for me and I think that making videos of encouragement to high school students of color could be something I'd be interested in doing. I also highly recommend that students who have powerful stories use this media platform to raise awareness about important issues and challenges they are facing while living in the United States.