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Mitzia Arreola
Corri Ditch
English 113B
5 May 2015
Finding My Own Identity within Two Cultures
An intercultural individual is someone who is involved in or represents different cultures.
For example, I was born in Mexico City but raised in America making me intercultural and a part
both the Mexican and American communities. Growing up I was influenced by the Mexican
traditions, but once I was brought to America, I learned how to adapt to the American culture.
One main struggle between the two cultures has been the value of education and how they have
both influenced my goals for the future. Finding my own identity within both cultures has not
been easy but I have a found a balance to where I am able to be a part of both. Breaking through
the traditional norms within my culture has made me a non-conformist, while many may think
that I am no longer a part of the Hispanic community I would argue that to this day I respect and
follow many traditions but I find things that are restrictive to my identity.
In my Hispanic culture I was taught to obtain an education up until high school because
my family believes that a high school diploma can get you a decent paying job. Income to my
family is very important because they all learned to support themselves and their families at such
a young age. The women in my family are all single hardworking women who settle for a
minimum wage job because they are unaware of their opportunities due to the obstacles they
have faced such as getting pregnant at a young age. This idea was passed down to me as my high
school graduation date approached when, my family expected me to get a job so that I would
learn the importance of independence, preparing myself for the future they expected me to have.

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They never thought that I would want to attend CSUN and was thinking of pursuing a career in
nutrition.
The idea of me not being born in the US to my family meant that I did not have an
opportunity to attend a four year university. Not being born in the US means you dont have
access to a social security number which is necessary when applying to colleges. Through my
time in school I discovered programs like the Dream Act that have given students who were born
outside of the US the opportunity to continue their education and pursue careers. The Dream Act
program is an application you fill out that proves you have been living in the US since the year
2000 qualifying you to become an AB540 student. Once considered an AB540 student it allows
an individual to go to college without a social security number and not be considered an out of
state student meaning they dont the pay out of state tuition. Other opportunities like Cal Grants
allow those AB540 to get financial support from the government to pay off their time in school.
In the article Estimating the Impact of the Dream Act research shows that, 90 percent (1.038
million) of the 1.154 million high school graduates will enroll in public institutions (state
universities and community colleges (Camaratoa1). The program has opened the door to many
opportunities for immigrant students who are breaking through the expectations seen in their
culture for example becoming first generations college students in their households.
In the American culture where the majority of my education happened it was strongly
enforced that an individual should continue their education past high school to eventually obtain
a degree in a career desired. The academic community is extremely competitive which has made
me a self-motivate individual. Thinking about my family members and how they werent given
the same opportunities made me value my education and not take it for granted. Through the
American culture I was able to find individuals who helped guide me and experienced situations

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that influenced me to further my education. For example, when making decisions to attend a
university I faced the struggle of not having someone in my own family that I could turn to for
help because they had not gone through the process themselves. Therefore, I asked for help from
the counselors at my high school who helped influence and shape the path I wanted to take in
college.
In my culture I am a non-conformist who broke through the traditional cultural roles, I
accomplished something that no one in my family had ever done and I will continue to work
hard to achieve my goals. As a first generation college student in my culture, it meant having no
role model, or someone who I could go to when I struggled in schools. This created struggles
between my two cultures; my own family didnt understand how important my education meant
to me because they had never experienced the stress or the amount of time that needed to be
dedicated to my studies. Suddenly my culture was shaped by space and I learned how to develop
two identities that worked differently depending on my environment. In the article Self-Identity
and Culture it states that People learn to adjust their notions of self-based on the new social
roles they take on as they grow older and interact with new people. A persons relationship with
certain groups determines which part of that persons self will be used in specific encounters
(126 Williams). The time spent in school meant being a apart of the American culture and
obtaining the same education as everyone else. While being around the Hispanic culture meant
sharing the same traditions and customs. Being stuck in between both cultural spaces made me
realize that I didnt have to choose a space I wanted to become a part of, rather learn to find a
balance where I would achieve my goals while proudly embracing both cultures.
During my time in school I have learned that the American culture is made up of many
different cultures who all share the same value of education. Within the academic setting every

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culture has generalizations about one another which they assume are true. Through my journal
entries I was able to view some of the generalizations within my culture. When I mentioned to a
coworker that I was thinking about double majoring next semester he laughed and made a racist
statement. When I confronted him about it he said that it would take me several years to finish
school and didnt think I was capable of doing that because I was Hispanic and Hispanics whose
parents didnt go to college usually dont make it past their first year. In the reading Culture and
Communication it states how, Generalizations can be problematic because they can affect your
ability to develop personal and professional relationships (Kurylo 7). The generalization that
was made about my culture was problematic because he himself was part of the Hispanic
community who is attending college but thinks low about himself because the generalization
created by other cultures has impacted the way he thinks about his own culture.
Finding a balance between my both cultures was definitely a long fought struggle. One
important thing I constantly reminded myself was to never change my personality and what I
believed in to feel accepted. Rather take the both influences and apply them to something that
would benefit me, in this case the value of my education. The American culture encouraged me
to break through my traditional norms and obtain an education while my Hispanic culture was
accepting of my choice to stay in school; while teaching me to be independent. As seen in
research conducted we are able to shows how, Successful experiences in high school create a
desire for improved socioeconomic status a need to contribute to the well-being of
others(Olive107). This research shows that the influences in the academic communities have
served as encouragement for first generation Hispanic college students. Within the academic
community I was exposed to the idea of college and a career that would shape my future for the

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better when colliding with my Hispanic culture I was able to use those influences to be the
change in my family and break that traditional norm.
Breaking through the traditional norms within my culture has made me a non-conformist.
Being an individual who was not born in America should not limit my abilities to obtain a higher
education. It should be encouraged for our future generations to better themselves and not just
settle for a minimum wage job. Obstacles faced by our parents should only encourage them to
want better for their own children and future generations. Careers should be encouraged all
throughout childhood and not just in one culture. As for me I have found two cultural spaces
which I am a part of and share a way of living with both. The balance I have found allows me to
act accordingly and be respected by the American and Mexican communities. In conclusion
attending a four year university has made my parents extremely proud and I am encouraged by
them and the rest of my community to follow my dreams therefore making me intercultural and a
unique individual who is proud to be a Mexican American.

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Works Cited
Camarota, Steven A. Estimating the impact of the DREAM Act. Center for Immigration
Studies.Nov.2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2015
Kurylo, Anastacia. Culture and Communication. Inter/cultural Communication:
Representation and Construction of Culture, Los Angeles, 2013. 1-20. Print
Olive, Tamara. Desire for Higher Education in First-Generation Hispanic College
Students Enrolled in an Academic Support Program: A Phenomenological Analysis.
Brill Online 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
Ronald Jackson, Cerise Glenn, ad Kesha Williams. elf-Identity and Culture. 1-20. Print