The Basics

My Story

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I was born in the small fishing village of Bahia de Kino, Sonora, Mexico. My mother raised me with the help of my aunts, uncles, and grandmother. During my early childhood, all I knew was the smell of salt in the air, church bells every Sunday morning, and dirt between my toes. When I was around six years old, my mom had the opportunity to work in the United States in Mesa, Arizona, and I would consequently stay with my Tita (grandmother) for weeks at a time, waiting for my mom to return to visit me. The separation was hard for the both of us. But in November of 1993, with the encouragement of my dad and help from some family friends, I crossed the border into my new life in the states. The decision was so sudden, that I had no time to say goodbye to my friends, let alone my family. I posed as part of a family that was returning to the states on a tour bus. My new “mother” handed me a Mickey Mouse doll to hold throughout the 4 hour drive to the border. Every once in a while, I could grab a glimpse of the car my mom and dad were in, but for the most part, I didn’t quite understand what I was going through and was terrified about what would come once I got off the bus. We safely crossed the border and after two more hours, I was finally reunited with my mom. We had another two hour drive from Tucson to Mesa, but when we pulled up to our new home, I could not believe that that was the house we were going to live in. Just the thought of having my own, nicely painted room was beyond my imagination. 

It was startling starting a new life in this country. The first time I visited my new elementary school, I felt so small and completely out of place. Everyone was speaking in a strange language I would hear the tourists in Bahia de Kino speak, but now I was going to become part of an institution with freshly painted white walls, fully furnished classrooms, and nicely groomed grass, something so drastically different than the dirt floored classrooms I was accustomed to in Mexico. The first couple of weeks in school I struggled with the language and with so much frustration, I begged to go back home. It was also extremely difficult for my mother because even though she would want so badly to help me understand my homework, she couldn’t because her English was also limited. After all the struggle of my introduction to the American education, I was finally able to start understanding and began to learn the language after the Winter Break vacation. I developed a passion for learning and for taking all the opportunities that my new country would offer me. I got involved in sports and orchestra soon thereafter, and the extracurricular activities helped me meet new friends and practice my newly acquired culture.
The small, village girl that was taken out of her native environment and placed into the clean, wealthy, and powerful United States of America had found a way to assimilate into her new society. 


In my junior year of high school, after a long and tedious process, my mother and I received our United States Citizenship. While most of my peers were excited about football games and pep rallies, I was celebrating and finally feeling that I was adopted fully by my new country. With the new chapter in my life, I began to focus on what I can do to give back to those that were in the position I was when I first came to the states. With the help of my mom, we created a program called Listos Para Aprender (Ready To Learn) so elementary school children having difficulty with English and their new like in the states, basically. As part of the program, the parents are also encouraged to attend and participate in English lessons given by my mom, to help them feel more confident in their daily lifestyles. On its fourth year, my mom still holds the program at her elementary school in which she is now an English as a Second Language teacher and gets help from local middle and high school volunteers to help the kids with homework. 


Now, I am currently a senior at the University of Notre Dame majoring in Anthropology. I started my college career in the sciences, but through my studies, it felt like something was missing. As Listos Para Aprender helped me realize, I want to interact, teach, and help people on a one-on-one level. I still have the desire to partake somehow in the sciences and I hope after college, I will enter either a Public Health masters program, or a Medical Anthropology program. 


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Another experience that helped me realize my passion for working with people on a deeper level was by becoming involved with the ND chapter of Building Tomorrow. Since my freshman year, I was a part of the team and together as a campus we raised enough money to sponsor the building of an elementary school in Uganda. While I enjoyed the efforts on campus, I wanted to develop a deep relationship with the organization. So, in January 2009, I traveled to Uganda for two weeks to help with the actual construction of an elementary school. In my two weeks, I experienced so many different events, some that shocked me and others that warmed my heart and consequently, Uganda has become a part of who I am. There were so many similarities between Uganda and Mexico that I almost felt at home during my time in Kampala and the village of Gita. I am so glad that my parents were supportive of my dream and that I was able to participate in the immersion trip because now I feel that I have a better understanding of others and of myself. I feel the trip helped me to begin to understand how I can help people in the way I hope to one day, and ultimately, it opened my eyes to the world outside of my surroundings. I plan to one day go back, and perhaps most importantly, develop a way to draw from my experiences, find the purpose my heart desires, and ultimately be able to serve the people in our world