Janeth Mora

EDU 280 - 4001

9/10/2018

Individual Culture Essay

It never begins with just you. Your journey begins way before you are born, with those

who carried you to the place where you first opened your eyes. With those who made sure you

arrived. The culture that wrapped its arms around you, molding you and spreading itself out in

front of you to guide you like a map. My family comes from a small ranch called Los Remedios

in the beautiful Michoacán, Mexico. Both my mom and dad immigrated to the United States at a

young age. Two totally different people, but with the same reasons behind their journey stability,

family, and a brighter future. Together, they took these goals and values and used them as tools

to construct their new life in the United States.

Growing up in a Mexican/Hispanic household, religion has been a big role in the way my

parents have raised us. I was raised by Catholic parents and grew up going to church every

Sunday, it was a priority. One of the aspects of my religion that has affected my feelings and

views on the church are the victims who have came out and talked about being sexually abused

by people in the Catholic Church. I am a victim of sexual abuse by a family member and I feel

like this topic is a very important one to address. In my religion, there are a lot of topics that are

censored and are not talked about in the church, on of them being sexual abuse. It is very hard

for people to admit to themselves that who they have believed to be good people, like priests,

could do such a monstrous thing to a child. It was an important moment when the Pope

addressed and talked about this problem because it is a way of saying that the Catholic Church
and it’s people are not perfect and a lot of changes must be done. Although, I do not think it is

just the Pope’s job to make these changes. This is not just a Catholic problem because sexual

abuse happens in schools, work, and in families. Religion is a community, and everyone in the

world is part of a community as well, a human community. Most victims feel that the Catholic

church did not care that they were abused, and others are afraid that people will not believe them.

If we let go of our fear of talking about sexual abuse, then we can help make the victims feel that

we do care about what happened to them, and they will no longer fear that we will not believe

them.

This topic ties in to my culture because those censored topics also exist in the hispanic

culture. Growing up it is not always easy to talk to our parents about how we feel or about things

that have hurt us. This is because our parents never really had that feeling with their parents

either. We struggle as a community with communication, but we have found other ways to show

each other we care, such as working hard to provide for our families. There is this idea in our

culture of always having to be strong, because if we allow ourselves to be weak and vulnerable,

who is going to look out for our families? We have to be strong for our families because they are

what we value the most. So, it is not uncommon for us to be hesitant in admitting we need help,

for example admitting that we need professional help like psychiatrists or therapists. I can say for

myself, and I think many hispanics can relate, that I recognize that seeking professional help is a

good thing and would recommend it, but when it comes to me personally, I would be hesitant to

seeking help. I feel that if I cannot handle something myself than I am not strong enough. This

feeling is a cultural influence. Although I address the negative aspects of my culture, I am very
proud to be Mexican American, but it is important for me to address these issues in order to

understand my culture profoundly and why we act the way we do.

Without realizing it, my culture has greatly influenced my plans for the future. I am

currently in college to become a high school English teacher. My parents always encouraged me

to dedicate my life to something I love, but they also taught me to help others and to think not

only about myself. Going to school in Las Vegas I was able to witness and experience the

desperate need for teachers who not only care about the subject they are teaching but who care

more about their students and how they influence them. Becoming a teacher will allow me to

work with the youth in my community and help encourage young adults to believe in themselves

and to respect themselves and each other, which is something that I feel needs to be a priority in

school. It should not only be about molding obedient workers but raising a generation that cares

about one another and is creative and mentally strong.

My culture has inevitably molded who I am and the decisions I make in my life. It is one

of the things that I am most proud of and would not change about me. I think that the positive

and negative aspects of it have been important lessons for me and have made me strong, and I

will use them as tools to help my future children and students.