Describe the world you come from – for example, your family, community or school – and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.
I was born in the United States with two immigrant parents, making it difficult to balance both their cultures and mine. The situation was made even more challenging because neither of my parents had the same background. My dad emigrated from Guatemala when he was just eighteen and my mom came from France when she was only twenty. Both my parents have settled in nicely to the States, but they still have strong cultural roots from the countries of their birth. I was exposed to Spanish and French at an early age, giving me the opportunity to speak both fluently. Growing up, I celebrated all cultural holidays, from le Jour de la Bastille, to opening my presents on Christmas Eve with my father. Each background had an enormous influence on my upbringing and greatly impacted the person that I am today.
Balancing the two cultures was extremely challenging for me. I couldn’t focus on one without feeling like I was neglecting the other. Every time I spoke French to my Mom around my Dad I felt guilty because he couldn’t understand. I was also constantly surrounded by my American friends who could not empathize with my situation. I eventually decided that the best thing I could do was to embrace both backgrounds at the same time, hence my decision to take Spanish and French classes during high school. When my friends heard that I was taking two foreign language classes they would look at me as if I was insane. Even though it presented challenges such as accidently writing in French on a Spanish test, I continued to surround myself with as much culture as I could. Whether it is foreign movies or ethnic foods I started to embrace my unique ethnicity.
Having parents from two separate parts of the globe has helped me realize my interest in different countries. It was not until recently that I discovered how to truly take advantage of my cultural roots. One of my goals during my college years is to study abroad for at least one semester, whether it is in Europe or Central America the location doesn’t matter, the only important aspect is the experience. I plan to make it the first step to my career as an international business man. I plan to travel the globe continually building upon the cultural base that my parents have given me. What I initially thought to be a difficult situation has become a wonderful opportunity and I plan to take full advantage of the chances I am given.