Everybody wants to be seen. We want our stories to transcend beyond the fences of our front yards. And not only do we want them recited and explored; we want them celebrated, protected, and accurately depicted.
I encountered these themes heavily this summer. I worked with them closely during my time as a Diversity Fellow at The Adirondack Experience: The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake. I faced these truths head-on when my multicultural hometown of El Paso, TX was shaken by a domestic terrorist attack. After grieving this tragic event, I kept asking myself, how are my people, Latinos and mixed-raced individuals, being treated and represented in other Western societies? Are they too suffering oppression from issues of/related to immigration? In these other international circles, do other minorities and immigrants struggle with nationality in the same way I wrestle with what it means to be an American? I then wondered, where is the last place I’d suspect to find another Black, German, and Mexican woman? New Zealand was the first country that came to mind.
Instantly, I began researching statistics of Latinos in New Zealand and the numbers were quite small as I had predicted. Beyond that, the experiences they shared were drastically different. Fueled with a desire to discover more for myself, I decided it was time to get started on my application to study at The University of Auckland for the Spring 2020 semester. One of the most enriching aspects about studying abroad through the College of Arts & Sciences is direct enrollment. Unlike other programs where visiting students are kept feeling like tourists, this allows me to enroll in courses directly at The University of Auckland and have a full college experience. I will be mixed in with other students and treated as a peer which is exciting, allowing me to truly see what university is like in another country. The classes I’m looking forward to taking the most are Pacific Music & Dance and the Rise & Fall of the USA. The former will most definitely expand my singer-songwriter toolkit, while the latter ties right into why I’m headed to Auckland in the first place — to see the American and mixed identity crisis through the lens of another Western culture. I am especially interested to see if the course tackles border relations and how Mexican Americans are portrayed.
Being the social butterfly that I am, I’m also eager to expand my community beyond North America. I have never left the continent. The most I’ve travelled out of the country are short trips to the other side of the fence in my hometown, and a quick visit to Montreal. I’m always looking for good conversation and I can’t wait to see what I’ll record as a writer. I plan to join the university’s Club Latino and capture the stories of students from similar backgrounds and later share them with the Cornell community by continuing to write for Slope during my time away.
I remember thinking that studying abroad would be impossible for me. I believed that being a student on significant financial aid meant that the odds of studying in a different country were slim to none. But boy was I wrong and I’m so glad I was. Turns out financial aid follows you and there are many scholarships out there to help students have international experiences. A semester abroad is perfect for those seeking an adventure that will challenge them holistically during their college career. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, so I’m making the most of my resources.
I can already see it… a new perspective and a new hope to return to the States with.
