Student takes pride in his upbringing and culture

By Giovanni Tlaxcalteco Lopez

Giovanni T. Lopez

“The best way to predict your future is to create it,” Abraham Lincoln said.

Many in the Morgan Hill community, in the state, in the nation, and even globally had not planned to be where they are today five or 10 years ago. The future is unpredictable. Small, harmless decisions impact us in major ways, changing the course of our lives, both individual and collective, whether we acknowledge it or not, whether it takes us where we want to go or not.

The “butterfly effect” recurs and has done so, changing the course of history: the asteroid, the Bering Strait, and the colonies.

Where is this going?

As a first-generation Latino student, born and raised in America, I am tremendously proud to be who I am and to have accomplished what I have in my lifetime. I take pride in my upbringing and my culture.

My parents made it to the United States in 2005 from the state of Veracruz, Mexico, with no money and no knowledge of the country, their ultimate goal being to work and make more money than they had dreamed of making back home. One decision changed their lives, and they persisted, working long hours in restaurants, fast-food joints, and department stores.

The work ethic, determination, and perseverance I grew up witnessing, all to provide for their two children, is a thing of wonder and admiration. Who would work three jobs a day, six days a week? Who would work at one restaurant as a busser for more than 10 years? It may not seem like much, but this resilience is more than  admirable. It’s a “canon event” for many like me. I have pride in these roots. They shaped me into the person I am today, as I’m sure it has many of us Latinos, and other children of immigrants.

Growing up, I was pressured to follow in those footsteps to achieve something more. I’m sure many peers or members of the community can relate to this situation: learning enough of the English language to read, write, and to speak in school, then getting home and being bombarded by a sheer amount of legal documents and tax forms to translate, or phone calls to take as an “English-speaking representative” (you’re welcome, Dad).

Our families taught us, guiding us toward aiming for better lives, taking us under their clipped wings, and showing us how to fly. I want to create a better future for my generation through honest work. That’s their legacy.

I am proud to be a form of representation for my community, showing what we are capable of, beyond stereotypes and taco trucks, as many of us are starting to prove, with our parents taking the first steps. I’m proud of my background, upbringing, working from a young age, and my culture.

Oh, my culture, our culture, stems back to “home,” trying to be preserved as much as possible in the United States. Beautiful parades, celebrations, parties which seem like block parties but are really just my dad’s immediate family visiting. I take pride in our celebrations, such as Día de los Muertos, where we honor our ancestors, celebrate their lives, and hope to one day reunite and connect with those who are family to us. Our food is another specialty and blend, many involving any form of meat or tortillas, but all delicious and special in their way.

The celebrations and their contents, while important to me, are not necessarily about pride nor representation, but rather sharing these beautiful traditions and experiences with the community, with the world.

Sobrato High School’s Latino Student Union’s mission is to share these beautiful traditions, foods, and events with the school community, hopefully teaching, even if just a little bit, about what it is to be of Hispanic heritage: resilience. It’s important to be seen and recognized for it. But it is equally important and beautiful to share such wonders with the world.

I don’t know where I will be in the future, what I will be doing, or how my community will be represented in the media. However, by taking steps and making an effort, such as with Hispanic Heritage Month, we can work toward creating a future where we can share our beautiful culture with the world.

Giovanni Tlaxcalteco Lopez is a senior at Sobrato High School. He serves as the president of the Latinx Student Union.