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Bilingualism and its effects
Bilingualism and its effects
Positive bilingualism effects
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Bilingualism and its effects
Bilingualism and its effects
Positive bilingualism effects
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Growing up Mexican-American in the United States can be a challenge itself. Throw in the task, of learning two languages, it made for a very confused little girl. There was often times growing up when I wondered why no one, but my family spoke Spanish. Why everyone at school and all my friends spoke this different language. Sometimes it even seemed like I was two different people.
This autobiographical essay will define my experience as a Dominican immigrant living in New York City. Being an American citizen with a Dominican background are extremely relevant to the process of political socialization. My family background is founded on the principles of democratic values, which taught to me by my mother and father. In New York City, I found a “melting pot” of different immigrants that allowed me to feel more accepted as a Dominican living in the United States. More so, these aspects of the socialization process provided a foundation for my belief in democratic values throughout my life.
I am not white, but I am not Mexican either. I am, however, a first generation Mexican American with parents from San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Perhaps I do not know what it is like to cross the border that refrains me from being Mexican, or the color of my skin that refrains me from being white, but my own personal experiences make me the Mexican American that I am today. Growing up I celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks, and the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe with matlachines.
As a member of a working class community, my life has been a struggle between resources and opportunities available for me. Having sparse resources has lead me to the constant push of working towards the things I’ve achieved. Social identities have become a guidance for my future goals and abilities. Being working class Latina, raised in a Catholic family has created many barriers and pathways into the future I wish to hold. Furthermore, taking all the social identities I have grew into have become the bases for my educational goals and identity.
I was born in Colombia, South America and lived there until I turned seven. Before I moved to the states, I attended a public school and was on the competitive swim team for my school. I earned many awards the year and a half I swam for my school. I took pride in competing with girls three to four years older than me. I also remember how different things were there than they are here in the states.
I am very proud of my Hispanic heritage. Even though, I am an United States citizen, I am always going to belong to my Hispanic backgrounds. There are so many reasons that I am proud to be Guatemalan and American that I could write a whole book about it. However, I regularly participate in my Hispanic culture and community through my family, traditions, and by being bilingual.
Culturally, family is the base of my Hispanic heritage. As a child my mother taught me that family is the most important aspect of life. I remember my abuelita and uncle visiting every Thanksgiving and telling stories about their youth, from my uncle getting lost in Yosemite National Park to my abuelita regularly being dragged by the ear to Mother Superior’s office. When she came to visit, my abuelita would always share the family albums that she had stuffed in her suitcase. With every picture there was both a story and a lesson.
My background is mostly rooted in West Africa. I was born and raised in Nigeria until I was five years, then I came to the United States in 2002 with my parents. My parents grew up in families of poor villages, and I too was born into a life of daily struggles. In 2002, when my father’s dream finally came through, we arrived in the U.S. I was five years old, unable to comprehend the significance of my family’s move. When I came to America, I spoke two languages, English and Igbo.
Learning to read and write was a great experience for me especially since I learned to read and write in Spanish before learning to read and write in English. I was taught to read and write in Spanish from kindergarten to the third grade, and then I was introduced to English in the fourth grade. In the fourth grade I was placed in a bilingual class that introduced me to reading and writing in English. It was not too difficult learning the basics since I already knew how to speak English. This did not change the fact that I had a few struggles along the way.
I believe the term, hispanic, itself does not define who I am. I define who I am and who I want to become. However, I do come from a Mexican heritage. Coming from a Mexican heritage has influenced and deeply impacted my life. My heritage has taught me a lot.
Spanish was my first language and neither one of my parents knew english. I would go to school and just listen and try to learn every little thing I could get my hands
Sitting in the front row of my French class, the new kid seating next to me asks: where are you from? Where am I from? That is a question I’ve been asking myself quite a lot too. Each and every time I hear these words, my brain jolts and flashes back, what should I answer? That I’m Italian so that I don’t have to explain, or say the real other truth and start a conversation? Every single time it’s the same story and invariably I don’t know what to answer.
I identify as a Latina. I have always considered myself as a Latina, but throughout time, I believe that I have assimilated more into a white individual because of the privilege that I hold and because I have lived in the US most of my life. I have received mostly negative messages from those who are not from my ethnicity. My peers and I were told we wouldn’t graduate high school and be laborers for the rest of our lives. With the current politics, I believe that this still holds true where some people still hold stereotypes and give oppressing messages to Latinos.
Liliana Monico Dr.Juile Kares WR 121 May 7th, 2023 Connecting Two Worlds: My Journey of Learning Spanish Growing up in a mixed household, I learned first hand how language is the key to unlocking the doors to different cultures and perspectives. For me, Spanish is my tool to build a bridge that connects my American self to my Hispanic self. In this literacy narrative, I will embark on a voyage through my experiences of learning Spanish, a language that has opened up new worlds of understanding, connection, and personal growth. From stumbling over unfamiliar words and struggling to fit in, to embracing the beauty of the Spanish-speaking world, this narrative explores the challenges, triumphs, and profound impact that learning Spanish has had on my life.
Being a five-foot tall Hispanic girl, I literally see the world from a different perspective. I was never the type of person to feel confident under my own skin because I belittled myself instead of embracing my physique, culture, and gender. As a young girl, I was inspired to run for president after reading a biography of George Washington, become an astronaut after seeing Apollo 13, and a computer scientist after learning about Bill Gates, but I was discouraged to pursue those careers because I am a girl. When the teacher would ask what we wanted to be when we were older, some boys would say, “You can’t do that! You’re a girl!”