Conversation 6

• Describe one identity that you have that you are most proud of and explain why. Describe also one identity that you either are not proud of, or struggle with. Explain why you are not proud of this identity or why you struggle with it. 

One identity that I’m proud of is being Albanian. Throughout my childhood I was always told the experiences of what my parents went through when they were growing up in what was once Yugoslavia. My parents would have to hide that they were Albanian growing up so when they came to America, they became much more appreciative for their nationality. Because of this, I commend them for their hardships and knowing their experience made me much more proud to be Albanian. Additionally, one identity that I struggle with is being born in an Islamic household. I have nothing against the religion, but it’s not something that I follow as much as I should. Though I would consider myself Muslim, I don’t pray and I follow only a few of the rules in the religion which is why I would struggle to identify as one.

• After reading the article “The Potential and Promise of Latino Students” discuss one new thing you learned about the Latino population. Be specific and explain your thoughts and reactions regarding what you read and learned.

Something that stuck out to me was the idea that Latinos are less likely to be accepted compared to other races such as Asian and white. The reason why I find this surprising is because Latinos cover a good chunk of America’s population. Knowing that there’s a possible bias when it comes to accepting individuals based off their ethnic background. I believe that this is unfair as it hinders someone’s possibility of being accepted just based off ethnicity alone without considering their potential as an individual.

• Choose one of the videos assigned this week. What is the main argument of the video? What reasons are used to support the argument? What are your personal thoughts and reactions to what was presented in the video?

I chose Defining Latino: Young People Talk Identity, Belonging
What I understood from the video is that people from a Latino background struggle to feel like they fit within an identity. The reason why I believe this is because if they were ‘too Spanish’ in America they would be told that they’re not American enough and this goes both ways. A woman in the video explained that she wasn’t taught Spanish as her first language so now she feels that she isn’t Latino enough and can’t make the connection with people from her same ethnicity and she would be told she’s too American. My thoughts on this is that this is something that I personally experienced with my own culture and ethnicity so when watching the video I was able to empathize to a degree. If I were to fly to Montenegro tomorrow, I would be told that I’m too American and when you’re told something like this you’re able to feel that divide between you and them.