I am Juan Garcia. Mr. Garcia or Sr. Garcia to lots. Sgt. Garcia to a few. And just plain Garcia, to most others.…
On September 15, I went and took part in el Grito ceremony held at the Miller Outdoor Theater to celebrate the Mexican Independence Day. I did not know what was el Grito, so I went to that event with an open mind. The show came after a long speech in both Spanish and English about the Mexican community in Houston and the impact of Harvey on the community. I really enjoy the sense of community that I experienced during that event. People came as a family or with a group of friends.…
Young Latin American woman of Mexican descent with a curvaceous physique. Full time college student, studying Communications. I would describe myself as a fun, sweet, and easy going girl. I am bilingual in Spanish. Born and raised in the city of Los Angeles in California.…
I AM DOMINICAN! WAIT NO I AM AMERICAN! Wait no I’m neither. How can it be that I’m neither. I was born in Dominican Republic however I have lived in America since I was two years old.…
In my seventeen years of living, I have gone through my fair share of tragedies. Yes, at seventeen years old. I have seen a marriage fall apart and a family member die right before my eyes. But even after all this, I’ve learned that everything happens for a reason and life shouldn’t be taken so seriously besides all the misfortunes it could throw at us. All of my family lives in Nicaragua, so growing up my mother and I would travel every time we had the chance.…
I know many people. Some of them are amazing at a sport in which I only possess mediocre skills in, others are able to maintain their high standard GPA's, while others keep their commendable reputations of perfectness. So, I know many meritable people, and then there is me, and for a girl who has failed so many times in her life ( tests, sports, a vain attempt at artistic skills) it becomes a little delusive to continue to believe that one day I will "triumph." That one day I will "get my time to shine. " You eventually grow accustomed to always hearing "no", receiving the letter that reads "we are sorry to inform you that..." or simply having another door shut right into your face, and after a while, per say my sixteen years of life in…
I come from a rather large community where Latinos seem to dominate my residence; however, even though there seems to be a vast amount of Latinos such as I, it seems that work is not easy to come by. The opportunities I my community are largely different than those one can see in the movies. California is not as grand as what many outsiders seem to believe. As a student and a daughter of a low income family I have seen first hand the struggles that many have to face if they want to survive the harsh economy that I live in. In my family I will be the first to go to college, so I have to set a good example to my three younger siblings.…
Coming from a Hispanic background means that I have the ability to do more than my peers. Growing up in the United States and living in a Hispanic household gave me the chance to have more than one cultural view. Having more than one cultural view allowed me to develop an open mind that helped broaden my views, and helped me in my life. However, I was often told that the world looks more at your race than it did intelligence, character and integrity. For a while, I believed that statement due to the fact that in middle school, I noticed that there were more successful white people than any other race.…
My ideas to inspire and engage my generation of Hispanics are to reach out to us more and provide help. Speaking rom personal experience, I think that most of us miss out on opportunities or even try is because either we do not have knowledge about all that is available to us or we cannot afford what we need to get there. I have been offered many chances to travel for my education, but missed out because my family could not pay to send me. I feel like if I do not have money, then I will not go far in life. National Leadership Forum On Medicine, People to People Ambassadors, and Down Under Sports all have reached out to me attend their programs, but cost too much for me to attend.…
It was six A.M. and we were all dragging ourselves to get up from the bed. The family and I were heading for Mexico and the plane was to leave at 8:30 a.m. We had packed earlier that week. I was anxious mostly because my father would continuously talk about the dangers of the streets and people.…
Summer of 2016, my family and I made a trip to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. The city of Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point is located on the Gulf of California. It's known for its beautiful scenery and dune-backed sandy beach. Tons of people around the world come to Rocky Point every year to unwind and have a good time. There are several reasons why Puerto Peñasco was such a memorable trip.…
Where I was waving “Adios” to my mother, the others were waving “Goodbye” to their parents. Torn between two worlds is what I thought I would always be. As a Mexican-American I believed that I would never be fully Mexican or American. I believed that I would never really fit into one specific group and would be target of exclusion all my life.…
Growing up in Mexico, I didn't have the best of everything. I had and still have a hard working family, but as a kid, I would always see my parents struggling to put food on our table for my siblings and myself. To this date, every time I am in contact with my relatives in Mexico they always tell me how much people struggle to provide a living for their families, especially when there is really no place to work or any resources that can help them out with such needs. As of now, life has been treating me well; I have a wonderful wife, an amazing 2 year old son and a baby that is soon to be due and a great job! My motivation to do this mission trip is by putting myself in the shoes of all those people that have to struggle every day and night to…
It was an early Monday morning, I was pretty happy at the time because this trip was going to get me out of a full week of school. So, it all began at the airport, looking out of the window I could see our plane, It was a bit intimidating and I was really nervous because this was going to be my first time on a plane. Nevertheless, I had nothing to worry about though because soon enough I would come to realize that, the time I would be spending in Puerto Rico would teach me to truly enjoy the great experiences in life. So we were off, I could not wait to begin my adventure in Puerto Rico and meet all the amazing new people. When my grandmother and I landed in Puerto Rico I had no idea what I was in for, we planned the trip last minute and had no plans when we got there, or so that's what I anticipated.…
While I attended Rockland Community college I became pregnant, as a result I entered the work force trying to make end meet to prepare for the arrival of my child; since then life has not been the same. In May 2001 I came to this country and I was already 18 years’ old the fact that I…