Honoring Our Roots

She wanted to be a doctor, a lawyer, an English teacher, a mathematician, a physicist, a historian, an astronaut, a political activist… She had a four-year scholarship to college—all expenses paid, paid her way, worked two jobs or had a child at home. It was easy for her to adjust since she was a fair skin Latina. It was hard for her with the dark skin and eyes, dodging glances from people who were uncertain of her ethnicity. These are the Latinas who I come across everyday at the university I attend. They all arrived in different ways but with the same purpose, to pursue different goals and dreams, and I am proud to be one of them.

My first day at Purdue University seems to have quickly become my fourth year. The rush of classes, events, projects and deadlines flood my mind as I think back on the entire experience of being an undergraduate. Being many miles away from my family and friends was difficult at first, but soon I was wrapped up in a rather large course load from double-majoring in economics and art history, along with many extracurricular activities in the attempt to find something that really interested me. I spent weeks on the go, distracted by my busy schedule in a non-stop rush to success, but it didn’t take me long to realize that there are many roads to success and not all of them are a highway.

These include taking leadership roles in hosting an immigration forum unprecedented to the state of Indiana and the Indiana Latino Leadership Conference.

Because of my involvement at our cultural center I became aware of the importance of culture in society. At this place I was not only able to learn about the diversity among Latinos, but also develop a greater appreciation of my multicultural and multiracial background, being half Puerto Rican and half Creole. It’s truly amazing to me to recognize how a culture tells a story of a person’s history and traditions, regardless if it is a shared culture that many can relate to or one that a person is just discovering. Once I embraced my own cultural background I was able to see how this is the foundation to knowing who I was and creating my future.

In addition to my own self-discovery, I was also able to meet many successful Latinas of all ages and backgrounds who have become mentors to me; women who have taken a strong focus on their goals and ignited their careers, academia, the community and the whole of society. I am also proud that Purdue University has a brilliant president, France Córdova, who has broken many barriers to be the first woman and Latina president. Because of these amazing Latinas, I am continually inspired to do what I can to always empower myself and be in the position to empower other Latinas.