My journey of self-discovery and cultural identity unfolds in Grandview, Tennessee, a gorgeous area filled with nature, wildlife, and a beautiful mountain view. My parents, hailing from Michoacan, Mexico, immigrated to the United States with little to no knowledge of English, along with my two older brothers, before I was born. As the first US born citizen in my family, I was introduced to a world that was a blend of Mexican heritage and the new American life.
Pride in our roots always ran deep within my family. Our home resonated with the sounds of Spanish, and by the age of 8, I found myself having to be the main translator for my family. Despite this, my early years were marked by a struggle to understand my place in a community where I visibly stood out. School introduced me to an environment where I felt alien, surrounded by students who I couldn’t relate to both in appearance, culture, and family backgrounds.
My initial school experiences were challenging; my shyness was mistaken for a lack of English proficiency, leading to two years in an ESL class despite understanding the language already and academic performance. This period was the beginning of my complex journey through cultural and personal identity.
In middle school, I began to become embarrassed of my culture and losing some of my Spanish. My parents were adjusting to American culture, and we would speak Spanglish at the house. One impactful incident occurred to me at this time, my mother and I were in a grocery store. We were speaking Spanish in one the aisles and a worker came up to us. They told us to ‘speak our language, you’re in America.” I was taken aback from this and did not understand why it was an issue, we were not using offensive language and being bilingual was a skill I was proud of.
High school brought glimmer of hope with the promise of connecting to others who shared my Latino background, drawn from three cities in Rhea County into one high school. One of the cities, Dayton, was known to have a bigger population of Latinos and I was eager to meet them. However, the encounters took an unexpected turn, and many questioned my authenticity as a Mexican, based on language fluency and appearance. I found myself feeling like I did not belong to either group as a Mexican American.
I later was determined to pursue higher education, I enrolled to Roane State Community College, where despite the limited Latino presence, I earned my associate degree. After I decided to transfer to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to earn my bachelor’s degree. It was there, in the fall 2022, that I truly began to find my footing. There I learned there was an organization called HOLA, Hispanic Organization, Leadership Association, marked a turning point for me. Through this community, I found a sense of belonging that had eluded me. The friends I made, who became like second family, helped me embrace the full spectrum of my identity, encouraging me to proudly speak my language and celebrate my culture.
Looking back on my journey from a small town in Tennessee to the bustling campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, I see a deep transformation of who I am, and not just a change in location. The difficulties of being a first-generation Mexican American child have evolved from being causes of uncertainty and loneliness to becoming sources of strength and pride. The encounters that once made me question my belonging have become experiences that drive me to open doors for others.
- Embracing Culture – by Alondra Mejia-Rendon - April 6, 2024