I resented my culture growing up. There were many aspects about it that I had issues with but primarily I resented it for the fact that my family rejected American culture.
There is this issue in Latino cultures where there tends to be a very narrow view of how things should be done. If it is done in any other way it is considered wrong.
As I grew older I started to read more and more diverse topics. These books ultimately started to shape my mind and how I viewed the world. In other words I started to see “outside” of that narrow vision.
Examples of books I read:
- Malcolm X by Alex Haley
- Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger
- 1984 by George Orwell
- The Stranger by Albert Camus
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
In addition to those books I extensively read news articles and just researched different philosophies of life.
The acquisition of all this knowledge was great news for a 9th grader in high school but by contrast the way I perceived it in relation to my culture was incorrect looking back. These books opened up my mind to new ideas and I conditioned myself to reject the culture that had raised me. Therefore, I tried as hard as possible to “Americanize” myself.
Six years later one of the most important moments in my life occurred, I got a chance to work as an intern for a fortune 100 company in Philadelphia. Now, if you’ve ever been to Philadelphia and Miami before you know there is a stark difference between the two.
Within one month of working in Philadelphia I quickly realized how different things were from that tunnel vision I had received as a child growing up but how I can use my cultural background to influence everyone around me both socially and in the workplace. It was exciting to be different and to see things differently from my peers.
I came back after that internship a new person. I started to talk a lot more Spanish, I called my grandmother a lot more, I educated myself on Latin American history, I got involved with Hispanic organizations at school, I listened to more Latino music, etc. My different approach to things landed me a great network that I could have never dreamed of and a fortune 100 job right after undergraduate school.
I started to embrace the diversity of my upbringing but with a new approach; I now had the best of both worlds.
This is what I want everyone reading this to realize. You will never be able to change who you are and how you were raised. Be proud of your background and you can become a future diverse leader of America.
Strength of Diversity 