Reminiscing about my past experiences helps me to determine my plans for the future. All my past experiences have influenced my career choice. Remembering my childhood I always played a very important role in my parents" lives. Not only was I their first daughter, I was the only person able to speak English in my family, and I was also their "official" interpreter. In that important role I matured more rapidly then the average child. I recall the time when at the tender age of four I was translating for my parents at my preschool admission meeting being confused and a bit frustrated. The admission person looked at me with respect that made me feel important so I tried harder to accurately translate the conversation. I was confused and frustrated because the only English I was familiar with was the English from my morning cartoons. My parents and the admission officer needed me to facilitate the conversation. At four years old I was functioning as a grown up instead of a child being admitted to nursery school. This is was I called my "adult" duty.
I was born into a Spanish speaking home, with both parents being immigrants. My parents migrated from Colombia in search for a more prosperous life, and the opportunity to succeed. Unable to speak the English language limited my parents in many dreamed opportunities. My parents faced discrimination because of their Hispanic culture. Fortunately because I could speak thou not fluently English and Spanish at the age of six I was able to be the family advocate. Every experience of translating and functioning as my parents advocate made my linguistic skills stronger, and more importantly made me stronger. As a child I observed the lack of respect my parents received from society because of their limited English. .
Immigrants come to America in search of a happy, better, and easier life then was offered to them back home. Instead of coming to the land of the prosperous life, they found themselves in a discriminatory environment restricted them from the opportunities "whites" or Anglos received.
