Denisse Maciel essay
When a stranger looks at me they see a young Mexican-American woman. Looking at me they see a bright smile, but they may seldom think about my bright future. They may think that I’ll be married by the time I am twenty with at least one child, and, if I’m lucky, with my high school diploma. “After all,” they might think, “all the other young woman of her ethnicity take this path, so why should she be any different?
Why am I, Denisse Maciel, any different? First of all, I have made it a personal challenge for myself not to let this be my path. Before I was born my parents immigrated from Mexico. Shortly after they arrived to the United States, my mother gave birth to my sister. A year and three months later I was born. My mother tells me that I was always a calm baby and as I grew older I kept on being this way. During my elementary years, I went to school because that was the only thing I could do. In middle school, I went to school to hang out with my friends and because there was nothing better to do. High school was different than the preceding time periods. There I learned that I was passionate about school. I learned that without an education my goals and dreams would become harder to reach. I have learned that I will not stop until I have reached my goals. I am dedicated to pursue a higher education. My goal is to use my education to help other students. An incredible career counselor, Mrs. Cathy Tilley, has inspired me to start a scholarship foundation. I know that in order to make this goal a reality I must go to school, and work hard to find funds for the foundation. With all of these plans for my future, I am not willing to risk changing my education path. I will persevere until I have obtained what I want.
I am Mexican-American. This doesn’t just mean that I have brown skin. To me this means that I come from a hard working group of people. I come from an ethnic group full of desire to succeed and to work hard. It gives me pride to know that I have such a rich culture. Some people may be ashamed of their ethnic group, but I adore my ethnicity. Also, I am proud to be able to say that I am bilingual. I speak English and Spanish fluently. When my parents emigrated from Mexico they did not know English. They were faced with a language barrier, which caused them ignorance toward college and everything associated with it. It wasn’t until this past year that they started to acquaint themselves with the steps of attending college. The only thing that my parents asked of my sister and I was that we graduate from high school. My parents were proud of my sister when she graduated high school and she decided not to attend an institution of higher education. Now that it is my turn to graduate, it is a big change for them because I am going to be the first to go to college. They are proud of me because they know how hard I have worked for this dream.
Thanks to my parents, I have learned to speak fluent Spanish. Being bilingual allows me to communicate with a wide range of people. It has allowed me to help those that cannot speak English. For instance, whenever someone needs me to translate at school or anywhere else I am able to help. I was working as an office assistant in the afternoon, when a Hispanic woman came into the office. She needed someone to translate and I was able to translate for her. It made me feel a warm feeling knowing that I was able to help her. I have been given the opportunity to learn and embrace two cultures. I love being bilingual because I know that I am bridging the gap between two cultures. Seeing many people of my ethnic group come to the United States without knowing a single word of English is difficult. I have seen how they struggle to learn the language. Being able to help them gives me an immense sense of accomplishment.
I believe that it is important for everyone to cherish their culture. It is important to learn their language and to never forget their roots. After all, no one will be able to change the blood that runs within their veins.