My Integrative Narrative
I HAVE LOVED LEARNING AND READING ABOUT OTHER CULTURES SINCE I WAS A LITTLE GIRL. I REMEMBER MY FATHER TELLING ME STORIES ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MEXICO AND GREW EXCITED EVERY NIGHT WHEN IT WAS STORY TIME AND HE WOULD BRING UP HOW THE AZTECS GAVE IT ALL IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE SPANISH CONQUISTADORS AND THEN HOW ONCE AGAIN THE MEXICANS GREW COURAGEOUS AND WANTED THEIR INDEPENDENCE AND FOUGHT IN THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION. I KNEW FROM THE START I WANTED TO PURSUE A CAREER IN SPANISH AND HISPANIC CULTURES BECAUSE I LOVE HISTORY. DESPITE MY INTEREST IN HISTORY, THERE WAS A TIME IN MY LIFE I WAS EMBARRASSED TO SPEAK MY MOTHER TONGUE AND I HAD AN IDENTITY CRISIS I DIDN'T KNOW WHO I WAS; IF I WAS MEXICAN ENOUGH TO YELL ¡VIVA MÉXICO HIJOS DE PANCHO VILLA! EVERY TIME I CROSSED THE U.S.- MEXICAN BORDER WHEN VISITING MY FAMILIA IN MEXICO OR ALSO NOT BEING AMERICAN ENOUGH. I REMEMBER A QUOTE MY MOTHER READ TO ME FROM THE FAMOUS ARGENTINE WRITER JULIO CORTAZAR THAT SAYS, “ LA CULTURA ES EL EJERCISO PROFUNDO DE LA IDENTIDAD”, (CULTURE IS THE MOST PROFOUND EXERCISE OF ONE'S IDENTITY). FROM THAT MOMENT I KNEW I HAD TO PURSUE A DEGREE IN SPANISH AND LEARN MORE ABOUT MY HISTORY. I HAVE GROWN PASSIONATE TO BRING AWARENESS TO MANY PEOPLE OF THE GREAT RICHES THAT LATIN AMERICA POSSESSES AND ADVOCATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SPANISH LANGUAGE IN TODAY'S SOCIETY. IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL I HAVE FOUND HEALING TO THE WOUNDS THAT I HAD, THOSE WOUNDS THAT CHICANX WRITER, GLORIA ANZALDUA TALKS ABOUT IN BORDERLANDS: LA FRONTERA. IT HAS BEEN AN EMOTIONAL JOURNEY OF WHAT I HAVE COME ACROSS IN MY SPANISH AND LINGUISTICS COURSES. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO IMPROVE AND RECONCILE WITH MY CULTURE AND LANGUAGE. NOT ONLY HAVE MY SPANISH CLASSES HAVE BEEN A GREAT HELP BUT ALSO MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT COURSES SUCH AS WLC 300: MAJOR PROSEMINAR, SPAN 300: PRE-CAPSTONE AND SPAN 395: SPECIAL TOPICS. THESE COURSES HAVE HELPED ME GET AN IDEA OF WHAT I WANT TO DO IN THE FUTURE WITH MY DEGREE. ONE OF THE CLASSES THAT GOT ME OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE WAS SPAN 301-S: SERVICE LEARNING IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY. THIS WAS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY, TO BE ABLE TO APPLY WHAT YOU ARE LEARNING AND PASS THE INFORMATION TO PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY IS A PRIVILEGE. I WAS ABLE TO WORK WITH STUDENTS AND BRING AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF BILINGUALISM AND BI-LITERACY. TWO OTHER CLASSES THAT IMPACTED MY LIFE WAS SPAN 330: HISPANIC TESTIMONIALS AND SPAN 365: CHICANX NARRATIVES. IN SPAN 330, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, I LEARNED ABOUT TESTIMONIOS AS A LITERATURE GENRE AND HOW THESE NARRATIVES REPORT SOCIAL INJUSTICES THAT HAVE HAPPENED THROUGH THE VOICES OF THOSE MARGINALIZED. IN SPAN 365, I WAS ABLE TO CONNECT WITH MY MEXICAN-AMERICAN IDENTITY AND LEARNED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CHICANX MOVEMENT AND WHAT IT MEANS TO REWRITE HISTORY IN THE EYES OF CHICANXS WRITERS. HISPANIC TESTIMONIALS WAS THE MOTIVATION FOR MY CAPSTONE PROJECT THAT WILL BE COMPLETED BY THE SPRING OF 2020. THIS PROJECT WILL BE ABOUT PORTRAYING THE ABUSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN REGARDS TO THE STUDENT MOVEMENTS IN MEXICO THROUGH TWO TESTIMONIAL NARRATIVES WHICH ARE LA NOCHE DE TLATELOLCO BY ELENA PONIATOWSKA AND AYOTZINAPA: HORAS ETERNAS BY PAULA MONACO FELIPE. I HAVE A GREAT PASSION FOR LITERATURE AND USING IT TO SHOW THE INJUSTICES THAT HAVE OCCURRED THROUGH NARRATIVES, WILL BE INTERESTING. I HAVE FOUND THE IMPORTANCE OF RETELLING THE ORAL HISTORY VS. THE OFFICIAL HISTORY. MY FUTURE GOALS ARE TO PURSUE TWO MASTERS, SPANISH AND SPEECH PATHOLOGY. MY MAIN FOCUS IS TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE IN THE AREAS THAT I NEED TO WORK ON AND ALSO DEVELOP MORE SKILLS TO BECOME AN EDUCATOR.