Meet Juan

Where were you born? What is your heritage?

I was born in a small village, ranch in San Marcos, Mexico (200 miles NW of Mexico City); state of Guanajato. I am Mexican.

How important is celebrating culture and/or Hispanic/Latinx Month to you?

Very important. My mother shares stories of the struggles my family encountered while coming to US. I was 5 years old when I came here with my mom, younger brother and sister; my father came beforehand. My mother’s family lives in Hollister; I was raised in that town. It’s important to hear about my family in San Marcos because I don’t visit there very often. It is through their stories and watching what my parents and grandparents went through that I learned to be a hard worker. I worked in the fields during the summer, and it was hard. I truly appreciate strong work ethics and it has inspired me to get education.

What makes you proud to be Mexican?

A lot of Mexicans in this country are bilingual; they haven’t forgotten their native language even though it’s easy to do when you are surrounded by English everywhere. In 5th grade, my teachers suggested that I switch over to English only; they noticed I was pretty good at speaking it. I did switch and lost some school friends who only spoke Spanish, but I’m proud to still be bilingual.