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MarianaGarcia
ProfessorJonBeadle
English113B
24February2016
MexicanCultureandCollegeSpace
ComingfromaMexicancultureandbeingthefirstonetogotocollegecanbeabit
difficult.TherearetimeswhenIinformmyfamilyaboutthesignificanceofattendingcollege
andboththeyoungandoldergenerationofmyfamilymembershavedifferentviewsabout
college.SomebelieveMexicansshouldjusthavearegularjobinsteadofpayingforcollegeand
theothersbelievegettingadegreeisworthit.Otherthancollege,whenitcomestofollowing
culturevalues,oneaspecttheyallshareincommonistobeproudofonesheritage.Awayin
doingsocanbethroughfollowingtraditionssharedinthehomespacesuchaslanguage,music,
food,andbeliefs.Eventhough,myMexicanculturehashelpedmeshapewithpositivevalues,I
seemyselffallinginthemiddleasaCaliforniaStateUniversity(CSUN)student.
OneofthewaysmyMexicanculturehashelpedmedefinewhoIamwasthroughmy
childhood.Irememberbeingeightyearsoldandbeingsenttoshopforgroceriesandgoingto
friendsandfamilyhousestoselltamales.Atayoungage,Iwastaughthowtohelpoutinthe
house,butbeingawareofmysurroundingswhengoingsomewherealone.Accordingtoan
articlecalled
SelfIdenityandCulture
theauthorstalkabouthowculturescanhelpdefine
someone.Asmentionedearlier,peopleoftenunderstandtheirselfidentitiesthroughcultural
normsandbeliefs,(Jackson,Glenn,andWilliams121).WhenIcombinetheMexicanculture
withbeingacollegestudent,Ilearnthatlifeisabouttakingresponsibilitiesandworkinghard.

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Inabookcalled
RhetoricforRadicals
byJasonDelGandio,theauthorstateshow
languageandtraditioncombine.Mylanguageexpressesmyheritageandmyheritageexpresses
mylanguage,(DelGandio110).BelongingtotheMexicancultureandbeingacollegestudent
helpsmeidentifymyselfbetter.Forinstance,IliveinthestudenthousingapartmentsandIenjoy
meetingpeoplefromdifferentpartsoftheworld.However,whenImeetsomeonethatsnot
hispanic,IoftengetremindedthatIhaveanaccentanditmakesmefeeluncomfortable.They
oftenassumeIdontunderstandEnglish,orIjustgottotheUnitedStates,whichisdisrespectful
tome.Forexample,myroommateandIwenttoanactivityourResidentAdvisorhadforthe
peopleonmyfloorandagirltoldtheotherstotalktomyroommateandIinSpanishbecausewe
dontunderstandEnglish.MyroommategotupsetbecausewewerespeakingEnglishandshe
judgedusforouraccents.IwasupsetaswellandIreplied,IfIdontunderstandEnglishthen
whyamIincollege.NowthatIlookback,Ishouldntbeashamedtohaveanaccent.Bothmy
firstandsecondlanguagehavealotofhistorybehindthemthathelpsmeidentifymyself.
Dependingontheplaceoneisin,therewillbedifferenttraditions.Thesignificanceof
placeforidentityisoftenconnectedtothememoriesorculturalunderstanding,thatareattached
totheplaceratherthantheplaceitself,(Jackson,Glenn,andWilliam119).Inmyhomespace
therearepositiveandconservativeculturalvaluesthathasbeenbothhelpfulandunhelpfultome
intheCSUNspace.TheCSUNspacecanbemoreliberalwhichmakesmefeelcomfortablein
discoveringmyself.ItsdifferentfrommyhomewheresometimesImafraidtospeakon
somethingthatcangoagainstmyfamilybeliefs.ThereasonIfeelthatIminthemiddlewhenit
comestocultureandspaceisbecauseIdontagreewithallvaluesmyculturewantsmeto

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followandalthoughCSUNismoreliberalcomparedtootheruniversities,therearestudentsthat
discriminateothergroupsbecauseofthewaytheyspeak.
Cultureandspacedontalwaystreatonethesame.Accordingtoanotherarticlecalled
MyHipsMyCaderas
byAlisaValdesRodriguez,theauthorwritesabouthowshebelongsto
twodifferentculturesanddependingonthespaceshesin,shegetstreateddifferently.Whenit
comestolovingherbody,herLatinculturehelpsherembraceit.However,whenitcomesto
expressingwhatsonhermind,theAmericanculturetendtobemoreopenmindedin
listening.WhenIwanttobelovedformymind,Iflocktoliberalintellectuals,usuallywhites,
(ValdesRodriguez75).Inmypersonallifeathome,IhavetobecarefulontheopinionsIshare
withmyfamilybecauseMexicanstendtobemoreconservativeoncertaintopics.Forinstance,I
cannotsaythatIdontlikecertainpartsofMexicobecausethentheyfeellikeIdislikeMexico
asawholewheninrealityIlovemypeople,unfortunatelytherearegroupsthatmakeitunsafe
forothers.IfIweretosharethatopinionontheCSUNspacesuchasaChicanoStudiesclass,its
morelikelyforthestudentsandtheprofessortobeinterestedinwhatIhavetoshare.
However,noteveryoneincollegeisacceptingeveniftheyareattendingauniversitythat
isknownforbeingdiverse.InastudywrittenbyKimberlyAnnCole,theauthorexplainshow
studentsexperiencecollegewhenbelongingtoacertainculture.Culturecansupportorinhibit
anindividualspotential,havingadualimpactwhencurrentandnewculturesorgroupsinteract.
Thisisoftenthecaseforstudentscomingfromtheirfamiliarhomecultureandenteringthemuch
widerworldofcollege,(Cole5).BeingaMexicanCollegestudentatCSUNhasgivenmethe
chancetomeetstudentsfromallaroundtheworld.Mostofthemarefriendlyandwehavethe
tendencytolearnfromoneanother.Ivealsometstudentsthatareadjustingtoattendinga

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universitythatisdiverse.Thosestudentsseemtostereotypeculturegroupsthattheydontknow
muchof.Forexample,oneofmyfriendswastellingmehowshedidntlikearaciststatement
herroommatementionedabouttheLatincommunity.Thisshowshowtherearesomestudentsin
collegethatarenotopenmindedinacceptingothergroups.
Discoveringwhooneisandwhowantstobecomecanbeadifficultchoice.Inanarticle
called
WhoamI?SelfIdentityHowtoBuildPersonalCharacter
byAndrewDobson,the
authordefinesselfidentityandbarrier.YourSelfIdentityconstructsandismadeupfromyour
experiencethroughtheboundariesofhowwellyoumeasureuptoyourworldview.SelfIdentity
becomesalonglastingdefinitionofyourcharacter,(Dobson).Thisrelatestomyexperienceof
howIfeelaboutbeinginthemiddleoftheMexicancultureandcollegespace.Myculturehas
taughtmemanysignificantaspectsthathashelpedmeasacollegestudents.Ivecometoadmire
myculturesfood,music,heritage,andpositivevaluesthathasmademethepersonIam.Inthe
otherhand,theconservativevaluesmycultureexpectsmetofollowmakesmefeelasifthereis
aboundaryinthespaceIamin.IcannotexpressmyselfathomelikeIdointheCSUNspace.In
thecollegespace,itsmoreliberaltoshareopinions,butIstillfeeldiscriminatedwithcertain
students.
Therefore,IminbetweenmyculturevalueswhenitcomestothespaceImin.Thereare
timeswhenIcannotsatisfymycultureincollege.Myculturecanbeconservativetoacertain
degreeandtheCSUNspaceismoretolerantwhenitcomestospeakingup.Although,Ihaveto
saymyculturetaughtmeabouttakingresponsibilityatayoungageandthatshelpedmeinthe
collegespace.TheCSUNspacehastaughtmeeveryoneisdifferentanddiversityisbeautiful.It
hasalsotaughtmethatnoteveryoneisfriendlytocertainculturesandthatswhenIwantthose

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peopletoknowthatacceptancemakeslifebetter.Forthosereasons,whenitcomestocultureand
thespaceIamin,Iamstilldiscoveringmyselfeveryday.

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WorksCited
DelGandio,Jason.
RhetoricForRadicals
.GabriolaIsland,B.C.:NewSocietyPublishers,2008.
Print.pg.110.
Jackson,L.Ronald,Glenn,L.Cerise,andWilliams,MorantKesha.SelfIdentityand
Culture
Kurylo,Anastacia.Inter/CulturalCommunication.LosAngeles:Sage
Publications,2013.Print.pg.119.

ValdesRodriguez,Alias.MyHipsMyCaderas

Faigley,Lester.Writing:AGuideforCollege
andBeyond.3rded.Boston:Pearson,2012.Print.pg.75.

Cole,KimberlyAnn.
StudentConversations:HowDiverseGroupsofStudentsPerceiveCollege
Culture,Supports,andChallengesinCollegeEducation/ByKimberlyAnnCole
.n.p
2014.pg.5.
Dobson,Andrew.
WhoamI?SelfIdentityHowtoBuildPersonalCharacter
Csufresnodspace.calstate.edu,.N.p.,2016.Web.24Feb.2016.