RUNNING HEAD: ADOLESCENCE PAPER

Adolescencepaper
JeliannCarrillo
SW3510
WayneStateUniversity

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ForthemostpartIhadaprettygoodchildhood.GrowingupIattendedagreat
schoolinwhichIfeltlikeeveryonetherewasapartofmyfamily,includingteachers.
AcademyoftheAmericasisaPreKto8neighborhoodcentered,qualityschoolthat
offersauniquedualimmersionBilingualacademicprograminSpanishandEnglish
withinthetraditionalrigorouscurriculum(AcademyoftheAmerica,n.d.).Theacademy
workedformebecauseIstartedschoolonlyknowingSpanish.There,studentstakemost
oftheirclassesbeginninginSpanishintheearliestgradesandphaseinmoreEnglishat
thelatergrades,helpingthemtobefullyproficientinSpanishandEnglishbyeighth
grade(AcademyoftheAmericas,n.d.).Iwenttothesameschoolfromkindergartenall
thewaytotheeighthgrade.ThismeansIgrewupwiththesameclassmatesfromage5to
14.IlovedattendingAcademyoftheAmericasandmostofmychildhoodfriendsarestill
myfriendstoday.Theproblemsandtraumadidntreallybeginuntilmydifficult
transitionfrommiddleschooltohighschool.
OnceIenteredhighschool,Ifeltlikeadifferentperson.Ifeltlikemyinnocence
wastakenaway.Istartedtolooktomyclassmatesforapproval.Ifounditvery
importantforeveryonetolikemeandacceptmeevenifitmeantactingdifferentlythanI
normallywould.Iwasalwaysasmartstudentandexcelledinallsubjectareas.After
attendingAcademyoftheAmericaswithsuchrigorouscurriculum,highschoolat
WesternInternationalwasabreeze.Westernwasablowoffschool.Studentswhowent
toWesterncamefromtroubledhomesandtheclassroomswereovercrowded.Ididnot
fitin.IwasusedtomyfamilylikeenvironmentatAOA.Thisisacriticalageintrust,

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commitmentandloyaltyandIdidntfeelanyofthatatmynewschool.Iwasintroduced
tothingsthatIhadneverseeninmylife.Drugs,gangs,fights,andbulliesarethingsI
wouldseeonthedailyatmynewschool.Afterayearoftryingtoadapt,Istartedtomake
friends.AsImadethesenewfriendsIwasgrowingandchangingtoassimilatetothenew
environment.IbegantotalkdifferentlyanddressdifferentlyanddothingsIwouldhave
neverthoughtofdoingbeforemeetingmynewfriends.
Ifapsychologistweretomonitormychangeinpersonalitythroughouthigh
school,theywouldassociatemybehaviorwiththesocialcomparisontheory.According
toCorcoran,thistheorywasdevelopedbyLeoFestingerin1954,andsupposesthat
humanbeingsareinnatelydriventoevaluatetheiropinions,abilitiesandoverallself
worth(2011).Festingerbelievedthatweengageinthiscomparisonprocessasawayof
establishingabenchmarkbywhichwecanmakeaccurateevaluationsofourselves.In
otherwords,itishowwedetermineourownsocialandpersonalworthbasedonhowwe
comparetoothers.Asaresult,weareconstantlymakingselfevaluationstomeetpeer
expectations.Inmycase,Iwouldcomparemyselfwiththesmarteststudent,themost
fashionablegirl,andthecoolestsportsteamsandclubstojoin.Thisallmotivatedmeto
selfevaluatemyselfandexcelandcompetewiththeseotherstudents.Idobelievethatthe
socialcomparisontheorycanbeagoodattributeandanegativeone.Inmycaseitwas
mostlygoodbutitcanaffectindividualsdifferently.
AsIchangedtofitin,Istartedtodatelikeeveryoneelse.Datingturnedouttobe
anothertraumatizingexperience.Ibecameinvolvedinaninterraciallymixedrelationship
formostofmyhighschoolyears.Atthetime,Idatedmyfirstboyfriend,anAfrican

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Americanyoungman.Wedatedforthreeyearsanditwasthemostdistressingand
traumatizingexperience.Iwasbeingharassedandbulliedonthedailybasisforbeing
Hispanicanddatingablackguy.Irememberblackfemalestellingmewhydoyouhave
totakeourmen?Areyoursnotgoodenough?Thingsgotsobaditbecamephysical
andemotionalabuse.
Iremembercryingtomymomaboutthemeangirlsatschoolthattalkedabout
Nick(myboyfriend)andIandIremembermymomtellingmetoignorethem,theyare
justupsetnickisnotdatingwithinhisracelikeheisexpectedto.Afterresearchingon
thisIfoundthatwhatmymomwouldtellmehadsometruthtoit.Notmanystudieswere
foundregardingthisissuebutastudyIdidfindwasconductedin2008andfoundthat
involvementinaninterracialrelationshipsignificantlyincreasedadolescents'perceptions
ofpeerproblemsatschool(Kreager,2008).Theyfoundthatinterracialdatingappearsto
increaselevelsofnegativeencountersatschoolandthisfindingisrobusttostrong
statisticalcontrols(Kreager,2008).Blackfemalesoftenviewtheserelationshipsas
rejectionsoftheblackcommunityandthebeautyofblackwomen(Childs,2005;
Dalmage,2000).
Accordingtoclassicassimilationtheory,risingnumbersofinterracialand
interethnicunionsrepresentthefinalstagesofgroupassimilationandtheerosionof
barrierstosocialmobility(Childs,2005).Symbolicboundariesbasedonculturaland
normativedimensionssuchaslanguage,music,dress,values,religion,etc.provide
avenuesforlowstatusindividualstoresistdominantgroupstereotypesandpositively
definetheirowncollectiveidentities(Kreager,2008).Tendenciestowardgroup

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distinctionandingroupfavoritismariseregardlessofgroups'socialstatuses,creating
intergroupboundariesthatareoftendifficulttocross(Brown2000).Inmycasethe
boundariesweresetbutIwasunawareofthembecauseitwasnotwhatIwasusedto.In
AOA,diversitywaswelcomedandevenencouraged.Meanwhile,atwesterneveryrace
wasseparatedandtherewasalwaysacompetitionbetweenraces.
Diversityplayedahugerolethroughoutmylife.Icanhonestlysaythatasachild
Iwascolorblind.ItwasnotuntilIwasfacedwithbeingbulliedandbeingharassed
becauseofmyethnicbackgroundthatInoticedthesegregationintherealworldbetween
races.TheissueInoticedisthatwesternwasnotaculturallysensitiveschool.Theydid
nothingtointegratetheracesorbringthemtogether.InsteadInoticedtheywould
separatestudentsinclassesbyracetoavoidfightsandissues.Irememberweallhad
differentlunchperiodsandwewouldaskeachotherdoyouhavetheblackpeoplelunch
periodortheHispanic?Atthetimeitdidntseemlikethatbigofanissuebutnow
reflectingonthepastitisquitemindblowing.
AlloftheseissueshavemoldedmetothepersonIamtoday.Havingtochange
myselftofitinwithmypeersinhighschoolmakemeinsecuretodayaboutwhoIreally
am.Istillcomparemyselftoothersandtrytocompetewiththem.Icomparemylifestyle
withotherpeopleslifestyles.Also,deepdownIholdasmallgrudgewiththeblackgirls
whobulliedmeuntilmyboyfriendandIbrokeup.SincethenIhavenotevenbeen
attractedtoanAfricanAmericanmanoutoffearIwillbeharassedagain.

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References
Academy of The Americas. (n.d.). Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved November
16, 2013, from
http://detroitk12.org/schools/academyoftheamericas/
Brown, R. 2000. Group Processes: Dynamics Within and Between Groups, 2nd Edition.
Blackwell.
Corcoran, K., Crusius, J., & Mussweiler, T. (2011). Social Comparison: Motives,
Standards, and Mechanisms. Blackwell Publishing, 1, 119.
Childs, Erica. 2005. Navigating interracial Borders: Black-White Couples and
Their Social Worlds. Rutgers University Press.
Dalmage, Heather. 2000. Tripping on the Color Line: Black-White Multiracial
Families in a Racially Divided World. Rutgers University Press.
Kreager, D. A. (2008). Guarded borders: Adolescent interracial romance and
peer trouble at school. Social Forces, 87(2), 887-910. Retrieved
from
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/docview/229853
586?accountid=14925