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New York is my home now, but it was not always like this.


         When I came to this country I was 18 years old and my first stop was New Orleans. I must admit it is a beautiful place. I was educated in Nicaragua, from elementary through high school. At that time the system went according to gender role stereotype, girls did cooking, needlework, and sewing, boys did carpentry. We accepted it just fine because at home the roles would have been the same. Women had to make sure the men needs were taken care of. I feel that’s one reason girls had to leave school, they wore supposed to take care of the needs at home if for whatever reason mom was not able to do it. According to the article to the American Association of University Women (AAUW 1992) “all girls confront barriers to equal participation in school and society. But minority girls, who must confront racism as well as sexism, and girls from low-income families face particularly severe obstacles”(pg4). I fully agree because culture reasoning is very difficult to escape, especially when you grew in it.

 

        Even though I finished high school in Nicaragua, I had to pretend I didn’t, because I needed a student visa in order to leave the country. The country and the educational system were going through many changes. It was just after the revolution. The new government had its own notion of an ideal education; much meant that all young people had to be in the military. My family didn’t agree with this, so I had to leave. Here in the US I started 12Th grade again. The educational system was different; all my classes were in English instead of Spanish like in my country. In 1991, Ogbu wrote:  ”Because the immigrants perceive the cultural and language differences as barriers they have to overcome, they do not go to school expecting to be taught in their own language and culture. Rather, they usually expect and are willing to learn the school culture and language.”(Pg21) This was very true for me , English was my second language, but I knew I had to become fluent fast to do well in school, and to understand a New Orleans English accent. The culture was very different and difficult to become accustomed to. I was not used to all the “freely expressing yourself”, because I came from a very religious and strict family. In my family, you do what, when you’re told and, socialize when, where and with whomever the family decides. So yes, I had a language and culture clash, and I still have some insecurity about this in my daily life.   

 

         Repeating the 12Th grade made it easy for me to get into college, because I earned a US high school diploma. But it was the financial issue that stopped me from going to college. Because I came to this country with a student visa, I was not eligible for financial aid. So if I wanted to go to college, I had to pay for it all by myself. This was not possible, with no working permit nor permanent resident card. I had no job and couldn’t get a decent paying job to manage everything plus college. This is why I came to New York. “If you can do it here you can do it anywhere”, that was the famous saying. I also had family here, which was helpful. I worked, fell in love, and then I had my first child, Patrick. Raising my child and working kept me busy enough, but I always hoped that some day I would go back and get a higher education. Since I couldn’t achieve that dream for myself, I focused on my son so he could get the best education possible.  In the article of Villegas, A. and Lucas, T. (2002) state,  “A truly constructivist education, however, would cultivate students’ ability to think critically, solve problems, work collaboratively, make collective decisions, and understand the multiplicity of perspectives in the world.” (Pg77) This line got my attention, because it describes exactly what I wanted for my son. I wanted these values to be instilled in my children for life. After eight years my second child came, Dannette. She was such beautiful girl; but of course, this is a mother talking. But I still could not shake the desire to further my education. So after I sent my first born off to college, it was time for me to do something about my dream.

 

          The beginning of my college days began in the fall of 2007 at Medgar Evers College. At the starting moment, my biggest concern was my age; I thought I would be the oldest student in the classroom, or on campus, but was I wrong. Sitting in the classroom for the first time, I looked around at my surroundings and couldn’t help but feel more confident and secure. I was not alone. I saw other grays and wrinkles in the room. The welcoming reception I received from my peers, professors, and the administration surpassed all my expectations. It is now the spring semester 0f 2011, and I’m still here. The few years that I have attended MEC as an older Latino student have provided me with confidence and encouraged me to continue my goal of higher education. In fall 2010, I found ALAS (Association for Latin American Studies) or they found me. Joining them has strengthened my feeling of belonging in the MEC family. ALAS organization provided that support and extra encouragement I needed as a Latino in a campus community that has a high percentage of African American and Caribbean students. I feel fortunate that I was able to join such a positive and energetic group of people that can express and encourage diversity in an already diverse community. Though only a member for a short time, I feel that I’ve been there for a long time, and that’s a very good feeling that can only be provided by it’s wonderful members. I can honestly say that my future as an early childhood education educator would be because of the strong support I have received.

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.