·I am a lot closer with my mother and her side of the family because they strongly believe in the power of community and being able to support one another. I don’t have much of a connection with my father's side of the family because I don’t speak the same language as them which makes it difficult to build a relationship.
(My siblings and I)

·My father is technically catholic but doesn’t actually practice anything related to religion and has never taught me anything about spirituality or religion. He instead taught me to believe in my own power and to trust in myself.

·I was never molded to be a housewife; I was molded to take care of my surroundings and to never accept money for free. The women in my family were taught to work hard for what they want and to never lose sight of our goals. 

·Often times people will hear me say that I am half Mexican and will ask me to speak Spanish for them and I have to tell them that I don’t speak Spanish. I hear “oh you aren’t really Mexican then, look at you! You are so white!” It gets incredibly frustrating when I hear things like that because I still identify as a Mexican.

·My mothers house is very modern and clean, but it still feels like home. It always smells like baked goods and there is furniture to fill up every space in the house. My mother has paintings and works of art that my siblings and I have made on the walls instead of paintings that you buy in a store.