HaU BLOG Posts
I have always been surrounded by people who I can relate to. I live on the Chicanx Floor and I am a member of Hermanas Unidas, so I feel like I never really left mi gente. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago when I attended a Career Engagement Program (CEP) that I felt out of place here at UCLA. CEP is a program designed for first year/first generation students that exposes them to career opportunities and how to pursue them. During our first meeting, I walked into the room expecting to find students of color like myself, but instead I was surprised to see a room full of White and Asian students. I sat at a table and began the ice-breaker activity which was to share our parent’s careers. Starting with the person to my right, he shared that his dad was an engineer and his mom worked in marketing. The next person shared that her mom worked as an editor for CNN. The girl next to her shared that her dad was a doctor. I was the last person to share, and I felt my face burn up as I said: my dad is an electrician and my mom cleans hotels. They all shared the same look of sympathy on their face and gave me reassuring nods. For the rest of the meeting, I felt that they spoke to me differently. This experience felt like a punch in the gut, yet it helped me realize that us students of color need to place ourselves in these uncomfortable situations, especially with people you cannot relate to.
-Karina
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AuthorThe following posts will be from your fellow Hermanas. Archives
March 2023
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