My mother emigrated to the United States in 1991, leaving
her entire family and everyone she loves behind in Lima, Peru. Everyone she
loves excluding my father, of course, since he's the reason she came to
the States in the first place. She tackled a new language, worked in Sam’s Club and coffee shops,
and went to law school while she was pregnant with my siblings and I. Coming
from such a strong, self-motivated, and confident Hispanic woman has helped me
become the person I am today and the person I am still becoming.
Since
my mother’s early years in the States, she’s become a self-sufficient
immigration lawyer and continued to be my biggest supporter and role model.
Hearing her stories about kicking butt in court, taking clients’ cases for
free, and bringing/keeping families together has pushed me to take my own love
for helping others and actually act on it. It seems natural to run for class
president, who else would ensure the well-being, happiness, and activities of
and for the class of 2016? They need a confident and passionate leader, and
there’s no reason it shouldn’t be a girl.
My mother’s raging feminism nudges
mine to be proud of who I am and to never let anyone walk over me. I didn’t ask
my boss how much I’m getting paid on the first night of my job. My mother’s
reaction? “I hope you understand that, as a woman, you have a responsibility on
your shoulders, for all those who came before you, and for those that are not
old enough to work yet. If they think they can walk over you because you are a
young female, you need to correct their belief.” I asked about my salary first
thing the following evening.
Being a student delegate of the Puerto Rican/ Hispanic Youth
Leadership Institute this past year has also really opened my eyes to how much government,
whether local or federal, fails at representing the Hispanic population. In an
estimated 20 years, Hispanics are predicted to make up the majority of the
population in this country. The program that I was a member of gave me the opportunity
to analyze proposed New York bills and to form arguments for and against each
one. These bills proposed things such as repealing the common core in New York
State. The program also allowed me to go to Albany for three days and debate
the bills with other young Hispanics in a building in which these state bills
are actually decided on. I also explored my identity and the identity of other
young Latinos whether they were Columbian, Dominican, Mexican, you name it.
This program as a whole assisted me in realizing how important it is that I
represent my people, the people who don’t even know how to represent
themselves.
Being a young Hispanic woman in the
21st century, I have a lot I need to stand up for. I study and work
hard for the women who are denied the opportunity of an education, I lead my
class because I love to and because society shouldn’t be irked by female
leaders, and I hold my head high because I’m proud of my gender and my heritage.
I strive for what I want, to further my education and to help others by doing
so. I will shatter the glass ceiling and I will be (and am) a strong, independent,
and confident Latina leader. I have a vision where one day women won’t be 19.3%
of the House of Representatives, but a fair 50%, since that’s around how much of
the population we represent. I have a vision where one day it is common for women,
Hispanic or otherwise, to be CEOs of large corporations and presidents of this country (other countries are ahead
of us, America). I have a vision where one day we are truly equal to men, and
gain every penny of a dollar that a man does.
So I’ll continue to pursue my
dreams, I’ll tread the path that has already been made for me by my
predecessors and continue to pave it for other Latina girls who need someone to
look up to. Thanks to my mother’s help and guidance, I know that whether I want
to be a government official, UN worker, or anything else for that matter, I can
never let society stifle my ambition.
I felt like I was hearing an inaugural speech at the end which I really loved. I would maybe discuss how the Latina culture impacted your life a little more possibly emphasizing your mothers work and drawing a parallel to what you have accomplished so far as president. Overall very encapsulating and got the real essence of Isabella!
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