New Cultural Knowledge, Essay Example

Guadalupe De Los Angeles Lyn is a young who identifies herself as Hispanic and Latina. Guadalupe describes being Hispanic and Latina as her ethnic background and also her cultural background. Guadalupe and both of her parents are from Nicaragua, and Guadalupe identifies her culture as primarily Hispanic. In addition to this main culture and ethnic heritage, Guadalupe’s family also has traces of European, Puerto Rican, Asian, and African roots in their background. These elements have also had an influence on her in terms of her family life, how she was raised, and how she sees the world. Having such a diverse ethnic and cultural background allows her to understand and appreciate diversity. Guadalupe sees herself as strong, smart, powerful, spiritual and hard-working and thinks others see her as kind, intelligent, spiritual, and willing to help others. I see Guadalupe in much the same way; she is a smart young woman who strives to overcome the challenges that many Latina women face in America. Guadalupe works hard to set a good example for other young women in her community by seeking a college degree.

Guadalupe has experienced stereotyping, prejudice, and racism on numerous occasions. She was once involved in a car accident, and the white female police officer who responded to the scene ignored Guadalupe’s efforts to explain her side of the story. The officer even gave Guadalupe an accident report to fill out that was printed in Spanish; because of her appearance the officer simply assumed that Guadalupe could not communicate in English. On a visit to NASA in Houston Guadalupe was seated in a tram car next to her aunt, who was speaking to her in Spanish. Guadalupe recalls seeing unpleasant looks on the faces of several other passengers simply because she and her aunt were not speaking English. Guadalupe has even been asked by people if she has a green card or is an illegal immigrant, and has seen surprised looks on people’s faces when she demonstrates she can speak English. Incidents such as these have made Guadalupe realize just how common stereotyping and prejudice really are. She has learned not let herself be upset by this, and has become more determined than ever to show the world what she is capable of.

Guadalupe’s background and experiences have made her want to be an attorney, and to specialize on defending victims of discrimination, racism, and other unfair treatment. She believes that all Americans have the same rights, and she is determined to work on behalf of those who face the same sorts of challenges she has faced. Guadalupe’s life story has opened my eyes to how common it is for some people to experience prejudice. Throughout her life she has had to overcome the challenges of dealing with people who make assumptions about her simply based on the way she looks. It is easy to believe that it is not common for people to make judgments about other people based on their appearance, but the truth is that it happens all the time. The most important lessons I have learned from hearing Guadalupe describe her life experiences is just how often stereotypes and prejudices are wrong, and how they get in the way of real connection and communication between people. She has also set an example for me by showing me how hard work and determination are the best way to overcome prejudice. Guadalupe has helped me to better understand the importance of not making assumptions or casting judgments on people based on their age, their appearance, their gender, or their background, and to look instead at how they treat other people and how they live their lives.