Nuestra Hispanidad
Acknowledging the Differences:
Many people outside of the Hispanic and Latinx community fail to realize that although the experiences of Hispanic American students may be similar, there is a broader spectrum to their values and identities. Oftentimes the media groups all Latinos into a singular box, which culturally entraps us and our position within society. As a single Mexican-American, I am incapable of describing the Hispanic-American experience as it is too broad a concept for any one person to quantify. An attempt to even do so will result in the same incomplete picture that the media paints of our community daily. Even to describe the Mexican-American experience is too overwhelming to be tackled without the description lacking some degree of accuracy. However, seeking to understand the diverse nature of what it means to be Hispanic offers a more holistic approach to understanding the perspective of Hispanic-American students.
An Exploration of Ethnicity:
One of the more important aspects of exploring hispanidad is directly connected to a person’s country of origin. It is for this reason that I included a question of ethnicity within the survey I conducted of Hispanic USC students. I wanted to see whether a difference in ethnicity among students translated to a difference in personal values when it comes to issues within the community. Initially, I had believed an individual’s patriotism for their country forms the basis of their Hispanic pride. But, I had failed to consider that the pride associated with belonging to a large group of Hispanic students may outweigh any personal identification to a specific country. This is reflected in the results of the survey as many of the students’ responses read similarly in the majority of the questions despite there being a range of ethnicities who responded. That being said, the only people surveyed were Hispanic students who grew up in the United States. Thus, for older generations of Hispanic or immigrants, the geographic ties that people have to their ethnicity play a monumental role in the formation of a Hispanic person’s sense of belonging dentro de la communidad. Thus, when interacting with individuals from different countries, the sense of belonging isn’t as strong despite having lived through similar experiences. This perfectly exemplifies the complexities between ethnicity and its connection to personal identity as a Hispanic. For students, ethnicity isn’t as crucial a factor for others in the community.
Highschooling while Hispanic:
High school is a high-stress environment regardless of the person you are. The pressure of being accepted into a good school can become overwhelming, and having to grapple with societal expectations anchored by the stereotypes of your cultural identity does not ease the situation. In an attempt to delve deeper into the student experience of Hispanic Americans, I asked USC students if they were surrounded by people of similar backgrounds during high school and whether they believed being Hispanic impacted their high school career. Those who stated that they were surrounded by a majority of other Latinos and African Americans claimed that being Hispanic had little to no impact on their experience during high school. However, those who attend primarily white schools felt more pressured academically to prove themselves just as smart as the other students. One student said “The more advanced classes were not diverse and I found myself to always be the only Latina in the class. I also always had white male professors who I never felt comfortable around, and who would underestimate my abilities”. The lack of belonging likely makes Hispanic students feel isolated during their high school experience as they are perceived to be part of the uneducated minority. Students who were already immersed in a large community of Hispanics don’t have to worry about fitting in or validating their sense of belonging, which lifts a large social weight off of their shoulders. Since the student above was the only Latina in advanced classes, she not only carried the burden of proving herself as capable but proving that Hispanics as a community were equally capable of taking rigorous classes and being successful. I identify with her as I struggled through a similar burden when I attended a predominantly white school in the suburbs of Redondo Beach, CA. It is both relieving and sickening to hear others go through the same thing. It relieves me to hear that I was not the only person having to carry the burden, but it sickens me to know that society expects us to carry this responsibility without considering our well-being.
On Our Way Up
Unlike high school, the physically large scale of University makes it more difficult for Hispanics to find others with similar backgrounds, especially at a mainly white and wealthy institution like USC. To investigate the differences between the college experience and high school experience, I asked the same students if they were surrounded by people of a similar background at USC and if they felt being Hispanic impacted their college experience. This time, almost every student responded that being Hispanic greatly impacted their time at USC regardless of the types of people they were surrounded by. Many of the students surveyed said they felt “isolated”, like an “outcast”, “experienced culture shock”, felt “at an automatic disadvantage”, and had difficulty being “taken seriously”. Some of these students were surrounded by many Hispanics through clubs and special interest housing, but the vastness of USC still emphasized their positions as a minority group within the school. This inevitably makes people feel alone, which negatively impacts their mental state and bleeds into their academic performance. But at the same time, one student viewed the lack of Hispanics as an opportunity to educate others on his experience as a Mexican-American student. In addition, the theme of living up to the expectations of la comunidad persists through college. Regardless of having been accepted into a prestigious university, Hispanic students still feel the need to prove their capabilities for themselves and their community. This will likely carry on throughout their entire lives as they get jobs where they also feel underrepresented and feel the need to prove their value to a company.
La Hispanidad:
Someone “Hispanidad” can explain an individual’s personal feeling to what it means to be Hispanic, but can not be defined by a single person. Hispanidad is entirely subjective and has the potential to vary vastly from person to person. In an attempt to narrow down what hispanidad means to the students of USC I asked them questions regarding what is the most important aspect of their culture, what they believed was the meaning of being Hispanic, and whether or not they felt connected to their culture. When students first responded to what is meant to be Hispanic, answers ranged from: it means to be from a Spanish speaking country, to “being Hispanic is so much more than coming from a certain background or speaking a certain language. It’s an experience that no one can classify”. The wide range of answers amplifies the notion that no single person has a concrete definition of what it means to be Hispanic. It also outlines how differences in the community, as stated in the first paragraph, make it increasingly more complex to truly define the Hispanic experience. That being said, many stated that the connection to la comunidad is the most important part of their culture. To me this means that it is not necessarily the food we eat or the specific music we listen to, it is the understanding that we have experienced the same types of struggle that brings us together. It is the stereotypes that we defy, to the microaggression we must correct that connects us as a people. It is these common struggles that will bond us together, and prevent us from losing the connection to one another regardless of how we may experience the world differently.
Final Remark:
The analysis made above is simply comprised of the most prominent conclusions I could make from the survey. Other questions could be discussed in greater depth but would derail the scope of the writing project. Below, is a link to all the questions and responses to the survey for any reader to look at as they please.
Survey Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OhQRmdUgjjA7_1Wg4FjtGyDUW1WzRMHNf4wUsuUgj2Q/edit#responses
