What would be you first stereotype if I told you I was Mexican American? Most Mexican Americans face constant stereotypes that are not always true. Some of those stereotypes include that they don’t have a college education or can’t get a college education, that they are poor, criminals, and that they only work for others. I am Mexican American, I was born in Mexico and raised in the United States, and most people would be surprise to find out that I will be attending a University. They usually question me with questions like, how are you going to pay? Why didn’t you just go to a community college? I do not get offended by such questions. It helps me realize that most people believe that a Mexican student does not have the ability to succeed. I am also a Dreamer, part of a group of undocumented students who were brought illegally by their parents to the United States. As dreamers we value the opportunities given to us by the government such as education, we are given the right to be temporary residents and attend a college as well as work, and that is enough to feel thankful for. I believe that your racial background or ethnicity should not determine your level of education or your abilities to be successful.
Our Mexican American community shares many values that helps us become a stronger group, some include family, religion, and culture. “ La familia viene primero”, this means family comes first, family is at the center of our social structure, one of our main values. Typical Mexican families tend to be very large, this means there is a big responsibility to support the family, having family parties and sharing traditions such as cooking typical Mexican food helps bring the family close. “Mi casa es tu casa”, my house is your house, it is Important to make our guest feel welcomed and part of the family as well. It is also most common for the man to be the head of the household, patriarchy is visible in most Mexican American families, and having a large family is one of the reasons why the man tends to feel more powerful. Most Mexican Americans value religion, more specifically Roman Catholic, sharing the same religion allows us to share similar beliefs and traditions, for example we get together to pray to saints, to God, and to the Virgin Mary, we also have religious holidays such as “the day of the dead”.
Young Mexican Americans such as myself are part of the Dream Act, we are usually referred as “dreamers”. A dreamer is a person who is undocumented but has certain rights due to the Dream Act. The Dream Act enables undocumented students to attend college and receive financial help, to work, and to live in the U.S. Although we are given certain rights we also have certain rules that we must meet or our temporary residence could be jeopardized, leaving the state and not pursuing a career after high school could put our residence in danger. As dreamers we have a strong connections and we tend to bond due to our similar family backgrounds, we all value family as well. We also value education, all dreamers are looking forward to attending college and breaking the Mexican tradition of working right after high school or middle school. We want a better future and equal opportunities, and now that we are given the opportunity to be in the United States and go to college we are willing to struggle to go to get our education.
Although Mexican Americans and Dreamers only hope to have a better future, we often face discrimination and stereotypes. Most people assume Mexican Americans don’t speak English or that they work as maids. People assume that I won’t be going to college or that I am too poor to attend a college, other people believe that dreamers won’t be successful and most likely drop out of college. Jose Hernandez is one of four children whose family migrated from Mexico. Jose didn’t learn to speak English until he was 12, he earned his Engineering degree and was hired by NASA and in 2009 he was the first Mexican American to travel into space. People like Hernandez are inspiring and keeps us motivated to keep extending our education and find a place in society where we can be accepted. The University of Texas is a campus full of opportunities and organizations that form communities. Some of the organizations that I could connect with include the MAAC, a community that celebrates the tradition and cultures of Latin America and offers leadership and growth opportunities through volunteerism. As well and the University Leadership Initiative organization, a community of students and parents that advocate education equality and for the rights of immigrants at a local, state, and national level. I would be interested in joining this organizations during the fall, as we share some of our values such as Latin traditions and education.
Communities are more than a group of people, a community is where we have our closer connections, our greatest pleasures, and our most serious problems. Communities could be small or large, a small community could include a group of people in your senior class while a large community could be a large group of people you associate that shares some of your values. In my case I belong to the Mexican American community, but I am also part of the Dreamers community, a smaller group that I share my Mexican American values with.