It is difficult to admit but there was once a time when I was ashamed of my cultural background. I would see people give my mother a hard time for not being to communicate clearly in English or would be teased for “looking ghetto” when in fact I looked Latina. How people came to connect the two and refer to them interchangeable saddens me. I felt disdain for my community and would feel angry about all of the people who were negatively representing me and my culture, instead of frustrated at the ignorance of those criticizing the stereotypes. However, this sadness and anger came from a lack of understanding of how and why society shapes our view of the world and each other. The more knowledge I gained of inequality the more proud I became of my roots. I came to the realization that these views needed to be changed. Not only the views I had about myself and my community but how others viewed us as well. I knew I wanted to be a part of this change.

 

When I first began my Masters in Education at Michigan State my intent was to prepare myself to mentor Latino students and their families through the educational pipeline. I wanted to gain the knowledge of student development and family engagement in order to be effective in this role. I feel like this remains as a subset of a larger goal that is still very much so interconnected.

 

Through this program I have acquired a stronger knowledge base on power structures, socialization and systematic inequality that shape our society and the education system as a whole. I have realized that while my passion is helping students and families navigate the system in order to attain a post-secondary education, there is still a larger battle to fight. My negative feelings about my community at an early age were not because the stereotypes were necessarily true; it was because society and I had been socialized with negative views. Those who did perpetuate the stereotypes were born into an uneven playing field and did not have the resources to shape their lives any differently.

 

This program has helped me grow my goals. I feel like the best way to create change is through education. If individuals are knowledgeable of the struggles that they could potentially face they stand better prepared. I think diversity education is essential in creating the culturally competent leaders of the future. I seek to help drive culturally relevant education that informs students of the beauty of their backgrounds. This knowledge, confidence and strength will make them better equipped professionals and global participants.

 

I am truly passionate about my community. I want nothing more than to serve as a mentor and example that an education can change a life, not just financially, but socio-emotionally. I want to help dispel stereotypes and diminish inequality. More than anything I do not want children to be self-loathing and struggle to find their place in society just because it has been dictated to them that they will be poor, uneducated or a criminal. I believe that education can drive that change and will serve as a beacon to prosperity not just for my community, but for society as a whole.
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