Transparency is key

Diana Hernandez explaining the Mexican tradition  of Dia de los Muertos to her first grade religion class.

Diana Hernandez serves as a 1^st grade Religion Teacher teacher at  the St. Francis Center Redwood City California.

Growing up in the western suburbs of Chicago, I lived in predominantly white neighborhoods my whole life. Over the years, I observed how small towns began to expand in size, population, and diversity as many immigrants began to move into these suburbs looking for jobs and better schools for their children.

I remember my elementary and middle schools always lacked the resources needed for bilingual students. School programs such as student conferences, PTA meetings, sports, and other school events were always in English. At a very young age I had to learn to be the translator for my parents.

School was always predominantly white students and white faculty and staff. The only people of color I would see at school were the janitorial staff and the workers who cooked and served our food. It was not until high school sophomore year that I finally had a Latina teacher. It was until high school that I finally felt represented and supported by a teacher who spoke my language.

Ms. T taught social studies class with great confidence and boldness that my Latin@ peers and myself had never experienced before. For the first time, at the age of 15, I was learning about the success and accomplishments of Latin@ people. The first day of classes, Ms. T openly and liberally expressed her story of where she came from, who she was and what she believed in. She openly shared the story of how her parents left Puerto Rico and immigrated to the U.S in search for new opportunities.

Every day I woke up eager to go to Ms. T’s social studies class. She taught us history that she believed was not in the “sugar-coated American textbooks.” I remember being shocked to find out what Christopher Columbus really did to the Native American people and at the same time being frustrated that I had not been taught this truth earlier in my education.

Outside my class, Ms. T was also my track and field coach. Her mentorship helped me to feel empowered as a Latin@ woman to find confidence in my voice to speak up for what I believed in. She highly encouraged the track team to think about what colleges we wanted to get into. She always affirmed our potential by saying, “you are all intelligent and strong women you will be become successful independent women when you grow up.”

Being the first in my family to go to college, her words remained close to my heart, even when I faced financial obstacles in college and almost dropped out because I was sure I was not going to be able to afford it. I remembered her words and I convinced myself, “que si se puede,” and I became the first in my family to graduate from college.

Why am I sharing so much about my adolescent life?

When I started working at the St. Francis Center and the Siena Youth Center, I began to compare my own experiences to those of my students. From day one, I saw myself in the experiences of my 1^st graders whom are all Latin@. My students and myself are blessed to have been born to immigrant parents who work hard day and night to provide for us.

Being bilingual has helped me connect with my students in ways that I had never imagined. Like Miss T, the first week of classes I shared my story with my students, I shared with them where I came from, where my parents came from, and what it meant for me to grow up as Mexican-American in this country. I quickly bonded with my students over similar cultural interests in food, music, art, and traditions. Speaking Spanish helped me communicate with their parents directly and has given me the opportunity to actively listen to their stories.

When I am not teaching 1^st grade religion, I am an ESL tutor, teaching the parents to read and write in English. The first few weeks were emotionally draining as the parents openly shared their daily struggles in providing for their children. The first week I actively listened to the parents share their stories with me that both empowered me and broke me. Seeing the bruises of hard work in their arms and the dark circles under their eyes was like seeing my own parents sitting before me. It is so frustrating to know that immigrants come into the U.S. seeking better opportunities for their families and instead of supporting them our government oppresses them, places labels on them, and creates a caste systems to block their chance at success. 

Working with a Latin@ population has made me deeply reflect on the career path I want to take after my DVUSA volunteer service. Having experienced racism and oppression my ministry work has made me self-reflect that I carry with me pain and pride growing up as Mexican-American. Slowly this pain is being mended as the community I serve in Redwood City affirms my leadership skills and potential to succeed as a Latin@ woman.

My ministry work has also helped me realize that compassion and active listening can not be limited to a 40 hours a week job. I have purposely planned events and lead field trips outside my weekly work hours to make myself more available to the families and youth. Miss T taught me that true relationships do not form inside four closed walls. I hope that my students look up to me and feel represented and supported the way I did when I met Ms. T.