Category Archives: Blog Post 2

We all belong to many communities that support us and form the person we are today. Some big some mall, but they play a role in our everyday life. I have two major ones that make me who i am.

My first community that I cherish is being latino. Although I am half, I still take great pride in being who I am. Growing up and meeting my family on my mother’s side, I have been encouraged to become a better person. I never have really been discriminated against myself, but I have seen my latino and latina friends get told harsh things. In politics I often observe how latinos everywhere usually are frowned upon. Many people don’t want to help the immigrants because they are “going to take our jobs” and “bring crime into this country”. I do not believe this is true. In fact, a great majority of these immigrants actually contribute to society. They take any jobs that many people do not want such as construction, cleaning services, and much more. As a latino going to college, I feel blessed and hope to serve as a role model for many hispanics who have the dream of attending. I hope to serve as an encouragement to my mothers side of the family to let my cousins and nephews know that you can do anything if you truly believe yourself.

This leads me to my second community and that is being a first-generation student. My mother and father did not go to college. However, they are still doing fantastic in life as my mother runs her own business and my father is in the United States Air Force. Being a first-generation student, I hope to set a precedent for my siblings and for the rest of my family name. My parents came from poor backgrounds, so college was not much of an option. I have been discriminated rarely about this issue as well, but have heard remarks such as “your parents didn’t go to college?” or “are you sure you’ll be able to make it?”. Remarks like these make me even more proud to be where I am.

As a first-generation latino, I have surpassed many milestones and I hope to turn more heads. I found a specific organization called Project MALES, who mentor latino first-gen males and help them achieve their dreams. I hope to join the organization to help me and support me along the way.

http://ddce.utexas.edu/projectmales/about/

The two communities that mean the most to me are my Mexican-American heritage and tennis. Although these things are two different worlds these are where I have grown to become the person that I am today. I selected my Mexican-American heritage because it’s something that I was born into and have to live with. This is something that is a part of my life and can’t, this where my morals and beliefs stem from or where I saw beliefs and morals that I don’t want in my life. Tennis on the other hand is something that consciously choose to join and there is I have made many friends, had great times and which I had various problems. Tennis is something that change my life for the better but it also thought more lessons that just playing the sport.As a Mexican-American I would normally be considered a minority but I have not grown up being a minority. My hometown of El Paso is predominantly Hispanic so I have never felt out of place. Growing up though I was thought many thought many things that I still carry with me today and others that I discarded after a lot of consideration. One main value that I associate with being Mexican-American is family. One thing that my mom is adamant about is that family is important and that’s why she would do anything for her children and her mom. I, however, don’t have that mentality which is why I don’t get along with my older brother and younger sister. Another value that I associate with being Mexican-American, at least from what my mom has taught me, is hard work. My was a single mother of four but she word hard to make sure that we always had food, clothes and supplies for school. My mother always felt that her children should either work or go to school which is why she is working hard so that she can pay for my school. In turn that’s why I work hard, to succeed in school and get a good job to maintain her.

With these two values I carry myself with pride for who I am. Although I know many people would not like me because of where my family is from, I have rarely had cases where I been stereotyped for my heritage. The only two small instances that I can think of come from family and from my other community, tennis. The first one comes from mostly the majority of my Aunt Dora’s, who is my mom’s twin sister, family. They all see me as some sort of “nerd” and have always hinted that I shouldn’t strive for school. Not a single one of them has ever been to college and never liked school and see it beneath them to ever try to go to one. One time they even said, “when have you seen a Mexican at college.” The other instance was at tennis tournament and as things were wrapping up we saw some guys with a soccer ball playing basketball so we ask to play soccer instead. They said yes but then all the other schools teamed together and when we complained they said, “you guys are from Horizon, you all know how to play soccer.” This seemed fair to them because most of schools that banded together were the more “better” ones as our school was seen as the place where immigrants usually tend to go, they seemed to view as a bunch of soccer players that are just in tennis because they couldn’t cut it for the soccer team. These are two small things but still times where my heritage seem to some sort of indicator of who I am as an individual.

In tennis is where I was able to create many friendships and learn many things about myself. If there was one thing that I took out of the tennis is the importance of friendship. That’s the one true thing that I learned from playing during high school. Tennis is one part of my that I feel more incline to as the idea of “my tennis” instead of the sport because what I associate tennis with is my friends. Other people do not share the same feelings and just see it for what it is, a sport. That’s fine as you can’t really hold attachment to something that you have never experience. There was on instance in which I felt truly stereotype  just for the sport I played. One time the team was walking towards to a friends house for a cook out. On the way there we crossed paths with a rowdy group and as we were passing by one guy screamed, “look it’s the tennis p*****s.” He called me and my friends “p*****s” just because we played tennis. What they saw us were some unfit losers that stand there and whack at a ball. I think that the guy wouldn’t have said anything if we were the football team or the baseball team. In his eyes we were just some “p*****s”

I found that UT has Club Tennis which is just a tennis program for players of all levels to practice and compete. The other one that kind of interest me is the Chicano/Hispanic Law Students’ Association which is group that not only look at legal problems that affect that Latino community but also help Latino law students. That would be something that I would really consider during my time at UT.

I, like many others, find myself in a variety of different communities. Some of the communities that I’m involved in are obvious, like me being part of the Hispanic community. Although, I feel more connected to the music scene that also entwines with the social media community that I feel means the most to me. I know what you’re thinking. Typical teenager.

Music means the world to me! I love rock, alternative, country, oldies, you name it and there’s a high chance I might like it. I chose the music scene as a community that means the most to me because I feel at home whenever I listen to music just like anyone else. Whenever I was in Brownsville I tried to go to as many local gigs as I could and I even helped promote local bands via social media.

I know, I know. “Social media? Are you kidding me?” You’d be surprised how much social medias such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. helps bands get fans. I use Facebook to stay connected with different communities and that’s why I consider social media a community that means the most to me in general. Connected to the music scene, on Facebook I get to stay connected with street teams that I’m involved in to help get the word about small local bands from the valley or evolving bands such as “New Years Day.” But, I also use social media to stay connected with family I care so much about.

Roughly around 10 years ago six of my cousins were taken to a foster home and eventually were adopted away to two other families in North Texas. My family lost connection with the children I stayed the most concerned about them for a very long time. It wasn’t until 2012 that I found at least 2 of the oldest cousins on Facebook (after a little stalking, ha!). I was thankful to hear they were doing well off with their new family and this is the reason that I am grateful for social media to keep in touch with people that mean so much to me.

The typical stereotypes I get when I tell people the groups I connect with the most (music scene and social media) are “typical teenager” and “You’re never going to get anywhere in life, my dear.” Even when I tell people that my personal favorite music genre is rock and metalcore, I always get “Oh she must be atheist” and “she’s going through a scene phase.” First off, I’d like to point out that I am catholic and no I’m not “scene” or any other outrageous labels that I have no affiliation with. Second, I feel that I connect with these communities most because in the future, I want to open up my own promotions agency and help manage local and evolving bands of any genre.

I have searched through Hornslink for a while even and just recently came across an organization that I feel that I’d love so much. It is the KVRX Student Radio org at UT where students run the UT radio station and even host and sponsor concerts which is exactly what I want to be involved with this fall. I have a meeting the first week of August and I’m super excited! Here is a link if you are interested:
https://utexas.collegiatelink.net/organization/KVRX

When I started this assignment I had many communities that I could talk about, like everyone else did, I am sure.  However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized, that some were much more important than others.  These specific communities shaped me into the person I am today and they are a huge part of my life and the way I think, act and talk in my everyday life.  It is where my biggest commitments lie, where I have experienced my greatest pleasures, and I’ve dealt with my most serious problems, as said by the definition given by the authors of Critical Situations.

The Hispanic community has always been a huge part of my life; more specifically my mexican community.  I was born in the United States however, my dad was born in Mexico and my mom, not actually born there, however spent most of her life there and grew up in Mexico.  With that, you could see that my family’s roots are deep in the mexican heritage.  Growing up I was always taught to be proud of who I was, not only including that I was an American citizen, however to never forget where I came from, and in this aspect, where my family’s roots came from.  My whole life I grew up in the mexican environment, that sometimes included being identified with very well known stereotypes of, close family ties, parties every weekend and being around drunk relatives as a child.  However, the biggest stereotype that I had ever came across, was that Mexican women are uneducated and are only good for being housewives and having many children.

All my life I had to fight and work hard to break that stereotype in my personal life.  Many have made that specific assumption about me and believed that just because I had mexican descent in me, I was bound to end up in a specific way. That  I was bound to end up “like every other mexican girl.”  I was judged by many, not only in my community but by other communities, in elementary and middle school I went to schools where hispanics were the minority, unlike the high school I attended.  In my middle school is where I began to experience it, changing somebody’s way of seeing you is difficult after they have already made up their mind about you.  Without, even getting to know me, many people made assumptions and had opinions, on the way I should act, talk and dress.  Everything in my life I had to work hard for, not just for myself but to also prove that I am more than what others think of me.  I am more than just “every other mexican girl” and I will continue to prove those stereotypes wrong everyday until it is broken.

Like I mentioned before, I am an American citizen, and I grew up in Dallas Texas, specifically in a neighborhood very highly populated by hispanics.  Growing up I had to deal with the negative stereotypes of being mexican, however I also had to deal with the stereotypes of being an American citizen.  Most of these stereotypes were portrayed by my hispanic community.  I would vacation to Mexico to visit family, and many stereotypes that I was labeled as was that I was rich, because I lived in the United States. Another would be, that  I thought I was better than others because I was an American citizen.  Being labeled as something that you’re not, by people you barely know, can hurt.  I’ve always felt that I wasn’t a “real Mexican” or a “real American,” because of the comments and criticisms that I would receive from both of my communities.

Some organizations that seemed interesting to me that involved my communities was the “Chicano/Hispanic Law Students’ Association,” The Hispanic community is a huge part of my life and I have always been interested in law, I think this organization would be a great blend of the two. I plan on majoring in government and hopefully attending law school to become an attorney. This club, I believe would be a great opportunity for me to go back to my roots and really embrace two important aspects of my life.

The two communities that have shaped who I am are being Hispanic and having divorced parents. Coming from a Hispanic family means it’s all about what is best for the family. In my generation we are taught to strive for more rather than follow the steps of our past generations. For example, the first to go to college and provide a better life to our future families. Ever since I was small my parents made sure my siblings and I got good grades in school.  They would constantly remind us how important education was and how they just didn’t want us to go through the same deprivations as they did. When my parents divorced I realized that how I let the situation affect my life was up to me and no one else. I decided to let it make me stronger than what my Hispanic family had already made me.

Of course there are many stereotypes for being Hispanic. I have been stereotyped because of how Hispanics are portrayed to be as people who are unsophisticated. I remember meeting one of my mom’s friend who was white and my mom started telling her about me attending UT. She seemed surprised by that and i could see it in her eyes. How did she get into such a great school? How is she going to afford it? Although I felt judged I let it go and it just encouraged me to prove how it is possible for a Hispanic to go and graduate college.

Even though I have never really been stereotyped for having divorce parents there is some stereotypes out there. One of them would be how people assume any child who goes through their parent’s divorce take the wrong path. They believe that the child becomes to depressed and so then chooses the easy way out of just not caring about anything anymore. That is getting addicted to drugs, going out to party, and getting in trouble with the law. In reality not all of us go through that because we choose not to. Yes, I was heartbroken but I knew better than to let it affect me in a negative way. I pulled through and saw all the positive help it would bring to me. How overcoming my parents divorce would make any other obstacle along the way seem like a small rock  I could just simply kick to the side.  Those with divorced parents know pain and most of us wouldn’t want others to feel like they are alone. I would want to help others cope with their burdens whatever they may be and make them feel aided.

The two possible organizations i would like to participate in are La Nueva Generacion Estudiantil de Tejas and Occupational Therapy Society at the University of Texas. La Nueva Generacion Estudicatil de Tejas as they have in their description is an organization that encompasses the new generations of student while honoring their distinct heritage. The second organization gives students the opportunity to explore the occupational therapy profession.

https://utexas.collegiatelink.net/organization/la_nueva_generacion

https://utexas.collegiatelink.net/organization/occupationaltherapysociety

I made this because I miss having really good Mexican food.

My home is the Rio Grande Valley where Mexican culture is everywhere. My own Mexican American culture is what has shaped my life into what it is today. Growing up in a heavily Mexican and Spanish environment is what made me bilingual by the time I was four years old. Having Mexican heritage in my veins is what gave me my skin color and my brown hair. My heritage is everything about me. Being in such a different environment such as Austin for a few weeks has really made me put into perspective how much I rely on my culture. Back home, really good breakfast tacos were at every corner store and you could always smell the mouthwatering scent of fajitas being grilled on a Sunday afternoon.  Now, it seems as if I’m on the constant hunt for really good tacos and a place where I can speak Spanglish and still be understood.

My friends and my family are back home and we’re all connected by our heritage. Some of my greatest pleasures are eating authentic Mexican food and dancing guapangos at quinceaneras. All this is because of the culture in which I was raised. I’m very proud to be Mexican and when others generalize the Mexican people as “criminals and rapists” such as Donald Trump did a while ago that’s very insulting to me. Whenever I turn on the tv and see Mexicans being portrayed as workers for hire at a local Home Depot, maids, or street fruit salesman I am offended. It bothers me that American society generally likes to pigeonhole different races and ethnicities just so that they can put people in a box and not have to really take the time to get to know them.

Because of the stereotypes I’ve seen of my people in society, I’ve become more aware of the stereotypes that all races and cultures have associated with them. Pretty much every nationality in the world has a negative misconception about them. This led me to become more interested in discovering the truth about world cultures and become a culture enthusiast. This is why I want to study international relations and global studies because in order for two countries to work diplomatically, they have to understand each other culturally. I’ve never really experienced a stereotype because I’m interested in world culture but I have gotten judged for wanting to study international relations. Sometimes people don’t really understand why I would want to study other world regions or they believe that I don’t value my own culture enough. But that is not the case. The fact that I love my culture so much makes me want to reach out and discover the richness of other people’s heritage.

There are two organizations on campus that have really interested me and fit what I see myself as. The first is the Campus Events + Entertainment Mexican American Culture Organization. This organization hold events that celebrate Mexican culture such as Dia De Los Muertos and Mexican food.

https://utexas.collegiatelink.net/organization/campuseventsmexicanamericanculture

The second organization I found is the International Affairs Society that holds meetings to discuss world events and hosts speakers from different backgrounds that discuss international topics.

https://utexas.collegiatelink.net/organization/internationalaffairssociety