Back to School Reflections

Back to school was always a time of fun, planning, and of course, shopping when the girls were little. I was always more excited about their new school year, I think. but they humored me picking out backpacks, the coolest pens, and school supplies when they were little. Later as they got to high school and then college, we loved picking out locker room accessories, new dorm designs, and clothes to last through Thanksgiving (when they would be home again).

I don't remember doing that growing up and we haven't been back to school shopping in a while since Adriana and Marcela graduated from college in 2015 and 2017 respectively. My own school journey seems so long ago and so different, as I reminisce and reflect on their school days.

As I child I don't remember going back to school shopping. I think I remember my sisters and I all getting new coats but school supplies growing up, not so much. We lived in low-income housing and I remember free lunches and summer camps. It feels like so many people and organizations came together to help our little family out and a responsibility I took on to help others as soon as I could.

We grew up in the Bay Area, in a predominantly Latino community in Union City, California. I don't remember if I was a good student but I went, participated, and passed. I remember that my teachers looked like me or my neighbors and I was a cheerleader and class president in middle school. When we moved to Troy, Missouri that's when so much changed - not having anyone that looked like us or talk like us, or eat what we ate was .... different. It wasn’t until I had children of my own that I realized how these experiences would drive my core values. 

I wanted to make sure that as the girls were growing up they had memorable experiences with friends, teachers, and with me. I made sure they knew and understood their biculturalism and that they were proud to share it with the world. Growing up my siblings and I had little support to help us get through the system once we moved to Missouri, and we often found ourselves having to leave our culture and language at home. It wasn’t until after my divorce and having to start over that I realized that my ability to stand in two worlds was a superpower.

With the girls, I made sure that their experiences were different. I wanted them to be aware of the opportunities others had told me about. I wanted them to hear someone say to them, “You are amazing.” I hope it changed their lives. Through them, I learned what it meant to advocate for others and myself, I wanted them to know the power of someone believing in them.

For too many Latino and BIPOC students, these experiences are few and far between. Not because we don't deserve it, but because there are not enough people who look like us, who can appreciate our gifts and the strength that comes from being the family translator, balancing two cultures and even knowing another language.

Considering that the Latino demographic is the fastest growing, we still don't have enough educators that look like us or have had our similar experiences.

I was determined to make sure that my children had a different school experience than I had — a better one, with co-conspirators and advocates providing a proud sense of their identity through Jack and Jill and my family. I got involved with the PTA, the Girl Scouts, the track and cheer team, and even the Parent Association in College because I wanted a different experience not just for my daughters, but also for their friends whose parents had had similar experiences to mine. I remember driving several hours to Bowling Green State University when we lived in Detroit to make sure that Adriana and her friends all had the right dress for a fundraiser they were attending; or driving to Central just in time for Marcela's Lacrosse, or Edwards's football game so they would have someone cheering them on in the stands.

The idea that success should be accessible to all and that every child deserves a chance are principles that guide my work today - making sure that our young leaders know they matter and can see themselves as the leaders that they are.

As a Latina who has made the most of my opportunities, I also appreciate the sacrifices of my parents, who came to the US for a better life for themselves and us. Thinking back on my daughters' college graduations, I am grateful for all of their lessons and I can only hope that their path was easier as they found their way. As they decided their own lives.