Connecting Cross-Culturally

I grew up with sticker burrs from the thick, dry brush tangled in my hair and creamy enchilada sauce dripping down my face. I spent most of my childhood in remote South Texas on a ranch that has belonged to my family since the late 1800s. From a young age, I knew how to wrangle a calf, spot a covey of quail, and assemble raccoon traps. I grew up speaking both English and Spanish, which proved monumental for my connection with my Tex-Mex community. Even as a kindergartener, I was often my parents’ translator in the business of running the ranch.

The early years of my life were nurtured by the wildlife that surrounded me in our shared environment: caballo (horse), codorniz (quail), and ciervo (deer). Nearly every morning at sunrise, my dad, brother, and I sat in the deer blind watching the world slowly come to life: a doe and her calf peeked out from behind the mesquite trees, rattlesnakes slithered along the cool red dirt, and cicadas called to signify the blazing heat from the rising sun. The experiences I shared with even the smallest of creatures rooted in me an immense appreciation for wildlife, all seen through the lens of both languages.

But as I grew older, changed schools, and spent more time in the city, I slowly lost connection with the Spanish-speaking part of me. The overwhelming sense of being a part of a culture so much bigger than myself slipped from my fingertips. I was no longer pushed to speak Spanish as a means of learning other core subjects, completing basic tasks, or interpersonal communication. I realized the urban world I was now part of did not value bilingualism as a means of community-building. I was experiencing a cultural stratification I’d never known existed. That all changed when I joined my school’s largely Latinx basketball team—quick conversation, in English and Spanish, led to fast and enduring friendships.

This was a springboard for me to once again fully embrace my Tex-Mex culture, but this time to try to understand it through the lens of my favorite subject, History. I was captivated by the complicated and violent history of the Texas Revolution that separated Texas from Spain and Mexico, and I could feel the effects of that history every day. The Tex-Mex culture I so love was birthed during these periods of power transition. Texas gained multiple identities over the span of three centuries: French, Spanish, Mexican, Texan, and finally American. As a Texan, these combined identities are essential to who I am and to my appreciation for other cultures.

The most important quality I bring to Wake Forest is undoubtedly my skills at connecting and communicating with people whose lives have been so different from my own. My world shifted dramatically when I moved to polar-opposite Deerfield, Massachusetts; however, both my rural and urban Texan upbringing taught me how to be comfortable when connecting with people of diverse backgrounds. I believe this will be an asset to doing my part to promote inclusion in the Wake Forest community. I find comfort and strength in transcending social, cultural, and language barriers to build new friendships, which is essential to living in our ever-changing and ever-smaller world. I hope to bring to my new community some of the magic I was gifted all those years ago on those quiet wild mornings waiting for ciervo.