P E R S O N A L C U L T U R A L P R O J E C T

A N A M E R C A D O

E D U 2 8 0

P R O F E S S O R C H R I S T E N S E N
Cultural Belonging
My ethnic and cultural background: Hispanic and White.

I've connected myself greatly with my Hispanic culture and love its'
traditions.

Even though I was born in Las Vegas, I was raised in Mexico as

well.

My first language was Spanish, but over time I learned English and
became fluent in both. I still speak Spanish in my everyday life.
 My nuclear family consists of my two
parents, my sister (Guadalupe, 25) and my

MY FAMILY two brothers (Miguel, 22 & Jose 22). I am

the youngest (Ana, 19).

• My parents were born and raised in the same

small town. My sibling's and I were fortunate
enough to be able to visit and live there
numerous times. We are from Chilchota,
Michoacan.

• Chilchota is filled with many traditions and

celebrations I plan on continuing to celebrate.
My entire family lives there and at some point, I
did too.
Traditions
One of my favorite tradition/holiday is Corpus Christi.

We celebrate for two days:

On the first day, the town has a parade for Jesus Christ. Selected
people carry the statue of Jesus Christ while everyone in the town
walks behind them. People light fireworks, play music, all while
blessing the town. People are dressed in the traditional clothing.

On the first day we also have a traditional food to eat:

It is a soup called Churipo with tamales, but these are called

Corundas.

While eating the food, it is a way of welcoming the future blessings

from this celebration.

Years ago, men used to celebrate the following day by throwing

and filling the town with Maiz (corn), but saw it was not the best
idea. Our town is known for its' bread and baking, so bakers
decided throwing flour was a better idea. The next day the town is
covered in flour while everyone dances and parades around.
 CHURIPO CORUNDAS

TRADITIONAL
CLOTHING
MY FAMILY
Favorite Foods

Some of my favorite dishes from Mexico are:

Pozole: It is a soup made with corn and added meats (chicken,

pork, etc.). There are many toppings to add as in shredded lettuce
or cabbage, chile peppers, onions, radishes, salsas, and limes.

Carnitas: It is basically shredded roasted pork. It can be used for

tacos, burritos, or just served by itself.
Chilchota, Michoacan Morelia, Michoacan

Religion

Growing up in a Hispanic household and culture, I

grew up Catholic. Till this day I do practice my
religion, going to church every Sunday, prayers, etc.

My parent's small town is mainly Catholic, and we

have always practiced the same religion. On the left,
our town decided it was time to add in lights to make
the church shine. On the right, it is a church in a more
known area in Mexico. The place is called Morelia, we
have family in the city and love visiting the cathedrals.
Both pictures were taken this past summer.
 Education
o I've attended public school for my entire life. I went to a
preschool in Mexico but came back shortly and joined a
program. I've proudly graduated from East Career and
Technical Academy in June of 2021.

o Throughout my school years, I've found a passion

Life
for education. I've witnessed my own family members
teach in Mexico and overtime decided it was the right path

Experiences
for me. In high school, I was enrolled in the education
program. I was able to teach in a preschool. Within the first
day of teaching in preschool, I fell in love with working
with kids and watching them grow.
Life Experiences
I love to embroider! I enjoy putting on some music, movies, or a show while I
embroider! I love taking old clothes and adding some designs, animals, or
any kind of figure.

Speaking of shows, one of my favorite shows to watch while I embroider is

Friends. It is truly my comfort show, and I could rewatch it forever.

I used to watch Friends a lot growing up and over time learned English with it.
Having Spanish as my first language created barrier for myself. Overtime, I
became more fluent and did not feel like an outsider. I was always
embarrassed of not being able to speak English as well as others, but now I
am fully bilingual!
 One of the biggest challenges I have had to face was my language barrier. It was hard for me to
learn and communicate English. I wouldn't know some words or how to write well in English yet, so
it did influence my grades. My siblings and I faced the same dilemma in school, but over time we
all began to teach other at home and tried to make sure we were all okay. It was difficult but with
time and knowledge, we all can now speak fluently in English and Spanish.
Worldview

• One of the standards I live by is always treating

everyone with kindness. Growing up as the shy
kid who spoke broken English, I was an easy
target for people who wanted to be mean. As
much as I wanted to be angry, I realized it didn’t
matter. I still tried my best to be kind because you
may never know what people are going through.
A small gesture, kind words, being friendly can
go a long way.
 Goals
One of my short-term goals is graduating college with my AA
in Elementary Education. I am excited and proud to finish and to have
my goal accomplished.

My long-term goals is to have my first classroom. Having my first set of

students and finally taking in my dream career. It excites me every day
and I am thrilled to be able to teach kids and help them grow. I love
the idea of being able to create a safe environment for my future
students.
 Cultural Artifact
One of my artifacts is my family bakery. It is in
Zamora, Michoacán. It's been in my family for years
and it will continue on. Everyone in my family has
worked in this bakery and we've learned how to make
the family recipes. I took a picture of our oven because
my friends did not believe we had this kind of oven.

Lastly, my high school diploma. I could never

imagine the day I graduated high school. I am very
proud I was able to graduate and continue with my
education!