My Contributions To America

I grew up on a threshold learning how to find a balance between the spaces I occupied. I was the Mexican American girl in Korean populated gifted learners’ classes; the inner city student in suburban middle and high schools; and the lonely transfer student in a large clique based university campus. Initially, I felt out of my element in every situation. I noticed differences in language, manners, physical features, and apparel, but instead decided to focus on my contributions to a group. Learning about my heritage and the hardships my family endured in a foreign country taught me about discipline, honesty, perseverance, responsibility, and tolerance. I trained myself to look past my distinctions, because I valued my identity above all things.