Migrating to the United States at the age of five from Mexicali, Baja California has been the greatest gift my parents could have given my siblings and me. My parents came in search of the “American Dream,” a life with financial stability, quality education, and limitless opportunities for our family to flourish in ways Mexico could not provide. My family of four at the time migrated not knowing a single word of English nor having an understanding of American culture. Our arrival marked a new era for our family. We were no longer divided by a border with my father commuting each weekend from the states to see us in Mexicali; we were all finally under the same roof with news of a better life buzzing.
My path to higher education was everything but simple. During the first few years after we moved, our family faced the language barrier, which caused difficult times for our household. With 69 percent of Mexican immigrants having limited English proficiency, a simple conversation exchange at the grocery store can turn to disgruntled disagreements, like it did for us. After starting school and learning the language on my own at the age of six, I became my parents personal translator. Whether I was relaying information about our mortgage payments to my mother and or telling the doctor about my father’s symptoms, I was the language broker. The moment I heard, “Vane, que dice esto?” – what does that say – or “dile al muchacho que no quiero eso,” – tell that man I don’t want that – I knew I was on duty. If something got lost in translation, I was responsible for the lack of understanding which pushed me to dominate the language faster for the sake of my household.
If lack of resources wasn’t enough to deter education, the gender roles that accompany young Latinas like myself have poisoned my progress. What’s a young Mexicana going to do at the university? Why is she wasting her time going to school instead of marrying young and being someone’s wife? I was fortunate to have found Mrs. Sonia Sanchez-Saenz, my Culinary Arts teacher, who helped shed light on my potential as a not only a student beyond high school, but my role as a Latina within my community. These questions no longer taunt my journey to success. I have been able to live past these gender roles and expectations assumed for women in Latinx cultures and pursue all that I was destined to not accomplish.
Students, never stop striving for academic success. Use your journey to higher education as a path to learn more about yourself, the things you like and dislike, and most importantly, your passions. Your academic career will only be as great as your mentality toward it, so always keep a positive outlook and remember that hardships build character. Whether you have to stay at school later or study longer than everyone else, focus on your path and everything will fall into place. Never forget, your education is the most important investment and one no one can take away. Keep on believing in yourself and never forget where you come from.
Vanesa Contreras Rodriguez is a Junior attending Arizona State University where she studies Business Entrepreneurship at the W. P. Carey School of Business with a Minor in Spanish from the School of International Letters and Cultures. She is the Communications Scholar for Young Invincibles in Washington, D.C. this summer. Vanesa migrated to the United States at the age of five and has lived in sunny Phoenix, Arizona since. She is interested in pursuing a career that centers around the notion of providing students and their families the necessary resources to achieve a higher education, specifically geared towards increasing attainment rates within Latinx communities in America.
Check out my brother’s perspective