Writing creates unity in a community.

It connects people from different backgrounds,

different cultures, and brings together new ideas. Writing can sway opinions, provide comfort, or
inspire someone. Sandra Cisneros lives and writes with these things in mind knowing that her
audience is unique. She stands firm on the belief that someone’s past does not define them and
that their future is in their hands. Sandra Cisneros had a challenging childhood but persevered
and accomplished several things that have made her the person she is today.
A person’s childhood has a huge impact on the rest of their lives. For Sandra Cisneros,
family was one of the most important things in her life. She was born on December 20th, 1954
and grew up in a house with seven kids and her parents (Alexander, 1). Her family was
constantly going to and from Mexico to visit relatives. Therefore, they didn’t have a constant
home in Chicago, Illinois that they could come back to. The life they lived was somewhat
difficult to grow up in with all of the uncertainty. As a result, Sandra expressed herself through
poetry and writing stories inspired by library books. Sandra Cisneros didn’t let her chaotic
childhood get in the way of dreams to be successful.
On Sandra’s path to becoming a successful woman, she graduated from highschool. St.
Josephinum was the highschool in Chicago where she fell in love with poetry again and knew
she wanted to learn more about writing. After graduation, she attended Loyola University of
Chicago and gained her Bachelor of Arts degree. Then, she went to the University of Iowa
Writers Workshop where she got her Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing (Cisneros,
“Sandra Cisneros Biography”). This Writing workshop was highly selective and had an
acceptance rate between two point seven percent and three point seven percent. Cisneros’s
education almost overqualified her and gave her the ability to write works worthy of an award.
After she worked for these degrees, Sandra needed to find an occupation. Her first job
following college was a teacher at the Latino Youth Alternative High. This school was made for
high school dropouts. This teaching job gave Sandra the flexibility to work on her writing (and
pursue her dream job), but still make an impact on her community (Cisneros ,“Sandra
Cisneros”). Another way that she pursued her writing career was by reading her work at local
coffee shops and trying to gain credibility. For the sake of money, a couple years later, she
worked at several universities as an administrative assistant, still wanting to become an author. A
few years later, in 1980, Sandra released her first published work called Bad Boys. This was the
spark that set her writing career in motion.
Following the amount of Education, Sandra Cisneros finally decided to focus on her own
work. She wrote several books, short stories, and poetry. For example, “The House on Mango
Street” and “Woman Hollering Creek, and other Short Stories”. These works made her
Internationally Acclaimed for Poetry and Fiction. Some of the fellowships she received were the
Texas Institute of Letters Dobie- Paisano Fellowship and the Illinois Artist Fellowship in 1984.
Sandra also received the Texas Medal of the Arts in 2003. Another amazing accomplishment was
having several of her works translated into other languages. For instance, Spanish, French,
German, and several other translations (Cisneros “Sandra Cisneros Biography”). Overall, Sandra
Cisneros has accomplished a lot as a writer and made a huge impact on how we view
opportunities in life.
Sandra Cisneros’s success gave her the ability to give back to her community. With the
money she had earned from writing, she founded the Macondo Foundation. The Macondo
Foundation supports writers dedicated to social involvement. She created this foundation to teach
and help activists (Cisneros “Macando Writers”). These people wanted to make a difference in
the world. Sandra wanted to share her knowledge on writing, in order to inspire the next
generation. Currently, the Macondo Foundation hosts over 250 successful writers that help teach
seminars for future authors and authors. Another way Sandra has given back to her community is
through writing more literature. Her writing inspires so many people and it shines a light on her
Mexican heritage/ culture.
Sandra Cisneros has faced several obstacles. She has had to endure uncertain living
conditions, balance her dreams with reality, and write inspirational literature when life wasn’t
easy. She tested the definition of hard work and applied everything she learned in school to her
writing skills. She has helped the world grow in literature and our perception of success. Sandra
Cisneros has shown that no matter the circumstances, everyone has the ability to make a
difference. She has given back to her community so much that countless generations will be
influenced by her. Her writing creates unity and highlights how important different ideas and
perspectives can be in literature. All in all, Sandra Cisneros’s writing has touched countless
lives and her dedication has paved the way for future authors like her.
 Works Cited:

Alexander, Kerri. “Sandra Cisneros.” National Women’s History Museum, 2019,

www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sandra-cisneros.

Cisneros , Sandra. “Macondo Writers.” Macondo Foundation,

macondowriters.com/events-news/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.

Cisneros, Sandra. “Sandra Cisneros.” Sandra Cisneros, 2014,

www.sandracisneros.com/mylifeandwork.

“Sandra Cisneros Biography.” Www.chipublib.org,

www.chipublib.org/sandra-cisneros-biography/#:~:text=Sandra%20

Cisneros%20was%20born%20in.

“Sandra Cisneros.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.,

www.britannica.com/biography/Sandra-Cisneros. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.