Most students go to a school in which hundreds are enrolled in just one grade, that isn’t the case with me. There are just over a couple hundred students in my entire school, nearly all of them of South Asian descent. My brother and I are an exception. We are the only students of Mexican / Arab origin. I was joked about for years on end, even from my closest friends. In 8th grade, I was one of eleven students and the overall lack of diversity at my school made it easy for me to be picked on, I ended up as the punchline to many jokes. I was a prime target for many racial slurs and stereotypes, especially those about terrorism and border hopping. On the outside, I went along with the jokes, but on the inside, I was torn between trying to fit …show more content…
During their stay with us, I gained an appreciation for my Mexican heritage. My cousins came the states to work and although they were qualified as civil engineers, they worked long hours as busboys at a local restaurant. They showed me the meaning of hard work and what it meant to have pride in my heritage. My feelings towards the racial stereotypes that I had encountered changed and I became motivated to prove my worth and overcome the lack of acceptance from my peers.
Freshman year started and I set out to improve my grades. As I look back, I feel that I have achieved this goal and gained self acceptance of my mixed heritage in the process. I’m proud of where I stand academically and I find my transcript to be my proof and pride of the effort I put into making myself a better student. My experiences in these past years have taught me that I can’t allow others to put me down, even through a joke, and that I should be proud of who I am and my background.
When I start college, I’ll come across people from all walks of life. Whether these people choose to accept me, or not, I will not let it get in the way of my academic pursuits. I believe my past experience, overcoming the teasing and jokes that were thrown at me from my peers have strengthened me. I know that this mindset will help me succeed at Rutgers as I encounter a diverse