D’Alberti 1

Melissa D’Alberti

Jenkins

English 4

2/19/20

Embracing Our Diversity

Gringa, Chola, Beaner. These are just a few examples of names I have been called

besides the one on my birth certificate. For 18 years I have been living a double life. Growing

up Latina has been anything but easy. At home I am the daughter of a Mexican mother and a

Brazilian father, but at school I morph into a different version of myself. It is difficult to be fully

myself, express myself, and be proud of the culture I represent when up to this day I am still

scrutinized and left feeling like I do not belong. Everyday I face a bigger and scarier hardship.

Cultural Diversity needs to be celebrated rather than be seen as a flaw in society. Overtime I

overcame and learned the hard way that celebrating my cultural diversity and speaking every

language I know besides just English is beneficial to me and my community. Both the positive

and negative experiences and passion to show others how to embrace their diversity has led me

to ask the question: How does being lingually and culturally diverse both challenge and benefit

you as a person?

America has had diversity from day one, meaning the United States is the most diverse

nation in the world. America is a nation built up by immigrants. Aliens migrate to America for

an infinite amount of reasons, whether it is escaping treacherous living conditions, abuse, or

poverty. But, each wave of immigration throughout history brought more flavor into our melting

pot which added richness to our diversity that we did not have before. From the start we had
 D’Alberti 2

quests for adventure, fleets from danger in their country and hopes for a better economic future

leading early colonists ranging from more than just one European country like the English,

French, Dutch, and Spanish to the ​Philadelphia, Baltimore, Maryland, and Charleston, South

Carolina immigration ports​. In addition to the Europeans, the wave of slavery crashed over the

new born nation which brought a swath of African culture(African-American Migrations). In

these European countries, population began to decrease while in the US, “Between 1700 and the

start of the American Revolution in 1775, the colonial population almost doubled, to

450,000”(Immigration waves). After this first wave of immigrants from 1609-1775, immigration

came to a halt due to the American Revolution and other wars in Europe, but the second wave

came soon after in 1820. Most of these new immigrants entered through New York and were

mainly Irish and German. Just about one-third of the Irish fled because of the potato famine that

occurred(immigration waves). A potato famine was not the only thing to blame for this new rise

in population because, “​Gold was discovered in California in 1848, and the transcontinental

railroad was begun in 1862” (Immigration Waves). The job opportunities on the new railroad as

well as the luxurious gold brought Chinese immigrants to the West Coast. From 1881-1920 the

third immigration wave occurred when Americans traveled across the Atlantic to recruit

immigrant workers and laborers to assist them with their companies (Immigration Waves). By

the 1900s traveling by sea became cheaper and more accessible which resulted in poor

Europeans choosing America as their new home. Around this time hostility towards immigrants

began rising because Native born Americans felt threatened by job competition, felt

uncomfortable about cultural diversity, religion, and different political views( Immigration

Waves). These hostile sentiments quickly found themselves in our government system and laws.
 D’Alberti 3

Laws were created to limit and ban immigration in certain countries and even forced aliens to

prove themselves by showing their ability to read and write proficiently​.​ Soon after this wave,

“Immigration became low during the Depression of the 1930s, and in some years more people

left the United States than arrived”(Martin).For the Fourth wave which is our current 20th

century, we are in the midst of the largest immigration wave in the history of the United States,

“One million immigrants entered ​the country legally every year. By the first decade of the

twenty-first century, fully one-tenth of all residents of the United States were foreign born”

(Immigration Waves). These four waves and in-tern immigrants are vital to the formation and

continued success of our nation.

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world”(Ludwig Wittgenstein). This

quote by Wittgenstein highlights the limitless benefits language can offer. Language is a major

benefit to society and our brains because expressing ourselves through words builds a foundation

for how we see, understand and interpret the world. Language is like a universal code and it's

something we all have in common. Simply communicating through language is often overlooked

because people don't realize that without it, we would not be able to express our desires,

emotions, or creativity. At most schools throughout the world, students are required to take

foreign language classes to improve their communication skills and to encourage them to

embrace other languages and cultures. ​One of the hardest realities of our current education in a

globalised world is, “the growing cultural, racial and linguistic diversity in schools and the

problems involved in educating large numbers of students who do not speak the dominant

language as their home or heritage language”(Culturally and Linguistically). But the benefit is

that it also gives students the opportunity to land a better job that leads to success. Studies and
 D’Alberti 4

surveys show, “​Any hiring manager in any company in the world would tell you that the ability

to speak a foreign language is a prized commodity. Learning to communicate fluently in multiple

languages provides additional job security and advancement opportunities in uncertain economic

times”(DeValoes). Although traveling while being monolinguistic is doable, it is much more

beneficial to be able to speak the language because navigating will become easy and you would

be able to truly absorb the culture you are surrounded in. Along with these tangible benefits like

money, cars and travel, knowing other languages feeds your brain. A few undeniable cognitive

benefits are, “​People who speak more than one language have improved memory,

problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, enhanced concentration, ability to multitask, and

better listening skills” (10 Benefits). Kary Freese concurs with the idea that being able to speak

more than just one language will overall benefit a person's quality of life and presents many

tangible and cognitive benefits. ​ Freese combined the two things she loved most, working

alongside children and the spanish language to become a highly respected spanish teacher at

Foothill Middle School. With a teaching credential in English and a growing passion for

language she has managed to instil all of these characteristics in her students so that they too one

day will not only respect language and culture but maybe even embrace it.

Freese vocalized how beneficial it is to know a second language for more than just one

reason. For her middle school students, a major benefit to learning Spanish is that it strengthens

their native language of English. Besides just the benefits of a second language she also

mentioned the importance of it that she discovered throughout her journey with culture. “There

are many words in all languages that do not have exact translations and knowing multiple

languages broadens your ability to express yourself”, she emphasized. Freese explained that she
 D’Alberti 5

believes in there being a connection between language and culture because of all the embedded

culture that lies within the different languages that can not be understood without knowledge of

the language. Year after year she has seen her students benefit from taking her Spanish class

because it helped them in their own language and it also boosted their learning and perspective in

other areas of studies like Math, Science and especially English. Just as Freese has seen lives

changing within her students at Foothill, she has seen changes within her own life as well.

“Knowing spanish has changed my culture a lot. Both of my children are half mexican and we

celebrate mexican holidays and I make sure to integrate Spanish into both of their lives as much

as I can”, she conveyed. Freese will continue to incorporate culture into her life and share her

passion and knowledge with her students for years to come. Another essential member to our

community is Sabrina Eugster. She has highly contributed to the success of the Monument Crisis

Center, a place where families of low income or homeless from Contra Costa County can seek

help for food, education and or any general assistance they may need. Eugster has many roles at

the Monument Crisis Center. Among many, her larger roles include Family Resource

Coordinator, After School Coordinator, and the Summer Camp Co-Coordinator. As the Family

Resource Coordinator, she coordinates all of the center’s internal programming and classes,

builds partnerships with organizations, and provides case management for clients who are

looking for a specific resource and need guidance or a referral. As the After School Coordinator,

she coordinates a tutoring program of 50 children in grades K-5 and supervises a total of 75 high

school and college-age tutors and adult mentors. As the Summer Camp Co-Coordinator, her

duties include planning summer activities for 50 children as well as supervising high school and

college-age camp counselors.

 D’Alberti 6

Eugster’s knowledge of fluent Spanish, English, and German has been a huge asset while

working at MCC. Since a significant percentage of the clients that MCC serves are Hispanic, it is

very helpful to be able to communicate with them in the same language. “It also allows clients to

feel comfortable expressing any concerns that they have to me, so that I can better assist them in

getting connected with resources“ she explained. Often, she is asked to translate for partner

organizations were on site and do not have staff available Spanish language capacity. Her

Spanish skills allow her to connect with clients and help them with resources in a culturally

sensitive way and ensures that she has addressed all of their needs. Eugster also expressed her

concerns about most of her clientele struggling because of an English- focused America. The

biggest challenge due to language barrier is not having access to essential resources ranging from

food to housing and employment. Additionally, clients are not able to express their questions or

concerns to organizations if there’s no Spanish- speaking staff available. Furthermore, this would

mean that services offered by organizations only offer the services in English may not be as

comprehensive as needed by the client. “Lastly, living in an English-focused America can also

mean that service providers are not aware of the cultural norms of another culture. It is important

that, in addition to learning languages, service providers make an effort to understand cultural

differences when serving clients”, she empathized. Eugster makes an impact at MCC and our

community by taking time to learn about the culture her clients are from which ultimately makes

them more comfortable and gives her more context about their needs prior to providing them

with service or culturally-sensitive referrals. After speaking with teachers and mentors who have

experience with students, it was important to also gain a special perspective on what it is like to
 D’Alberti 7

be on the student side of this important issue while struggling with cultural identity and openness

about their culture.

I spoke with Dalia Zarour, an 18 year old highschool student. Zarour’s interest in

cultural diversity stemmed from her own Palestinian culture as she moved from Palestine to the

United States as a young girl and was forced to assimilate. She discussed her experience with the

culture shock after living in a Palestinian community to a predominantly white one. Having her

culture suppressed pushed her to relate to other cultures. “I wanted to use my voice to bring light

to the fact that there’s a lot of cultures here and around the United States that are being

suppressed” she asserted. Knowing how much hardship her family went through in Palestine, she

became more aware coming into the United States. She translated that into community work and

has been trying her hardest to benefit the community with meetings, rallies, and parades that

involve culture. To show of her pride, for her senior portraits she even decked herself out in

palestinian gear. She moves on to elaborate that at times she feels the need to hide her identity

because of shame or fear of how others will react. For instance, airports can be difficult because

of the “random searches” and what she might be wearing or how she looks. Another hardship she

faces is daily is how small the Palestinian community in the Contra Costa County truly is

because she can not connect with anyone that has been in the same situation and lifestyle she has

been in. “But I try my hardest to be as open about my culture as possible just so people can

experience my culture since they don’t get a lot of that” she assured. Zarour pointed out how

America tends to endorse English over other languages. She articulates how this can be scary and

it’s always just a thought that she has to be aware about when she’s in public. Question she’s

forced to ask herself when she is not in the comfort of her home are, Where am I? What language
 D’Alberti 8

am I speaking? And what am I wearing? If she doesn’t actively think about these questions, she

could face angry people that are hostile towards her because of her culture. “It’s just always

something in the back of your mind because you never know what someone will do” she

fearfully muttered. Zarour has also

Being culturally and lingually diverse does both challenge and benefit you as a person. It

challenges you because daily you are facing a new and scarier hardship that can seem

insurmountable. Daily tasks like grocery shopping, going to the park or movies with friends or

family are questioned. Maybe it was what you were wearing that day, or maybe you began

speaking in a different language other than English, but something so simple to an average

person is something that will always be in the back of a person's head as a fear. Another

challenge for culturally diverse people and especially immigrants, is that they are forced to

assimilate and are scrutinized for practicing their culture in America. In addition, for these

immigrants it is also difficult to get help and care because of language barriers as Sabrina

Eugsten explained. This all may seem very negative and frightening, but the benefits outweigh

these challenges people may face. You may think the only benefits you can get from knowing a

little bit about a different culture besides your own or even knowing another language are only

tangible, but this is not true. Although landing that new better paying job because you speak

another language is nice, many studies have proven that your brain will also become more

developed and you will overall gain a lot more useful knowledge about the world around us.
 D’Alberti 9

Works Cited

“African-American Migrations, 1600s to Present | The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross

| PBS.” ​The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross,​ 2010,

www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/on-african-american-

migrations/.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Classrooms : New Dilemmas for Teachers,​ edited by Dr.

Jennifer Miller, et al., Channel View Publications, 2009. ProQuest Ebook Central,

http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/mtdusd-ebooks/detail.action?docID=543879.

Devaloes, Leonardo. “Protected: Order – September 14, 2015 @ 04:09 PM.” ​Trinity Washington

University​, 14 Oct. 2015,

discover.trinitydc.edu/continuing-education/2014/02/26/importance-of-language-why-lea

rning-a-second-language-is-important/.

Eugster, Sabrina. 3 years working at Monument Crisis Center. Email Interview, 16 March 2020

Freese, Kary. Foothill Middle School Spanish teacher. Personal Interview, 10 March 2020

“Immigration Records.” ​National Archives,​ 19 Sept. 2016,

www.archives.gov/research/immigration/passenger-arrival.html.

“Immigration Waves.” ​Immigration to the United States,​

immigrationtounitedstates.org/603-immigration-waves.html. Accessed 9 Mar. 2020.

“Lead with Languages.” ​Lead with Languages,​ 2010,

www.leadwithlanguages.org/why-learn-languages/top-ten-reasons-to-learn-languages/.

Martin, Philip. “Trends in Migration to the U.S. – Population Reference Bureau.” ​Prb.Org​, 2014,

www.prb.org/us-migration-trends/​.
 D’Alberti 10

Zarour, Dalia. Student involved in cultural communities. Personal Interview, 25 February 2020
 D’Alberti 11

Works Consulted

Clarke, Lauren. “8 Amazing Benefits of Cultural Diversity in the Workplace.” ​The 6Q Blog​, 22

Jan. 2019, inside.6q.io/benefits-of-cultural-diversity-in-the-workplace/.

“Diversity Culture - Benefits.” ​Www.Referenceforbusiness.Com​,

www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/Dev-Eco/Diversity-Culture.html. Accessed

19 Mar. 2020.

“Why Is Cultural Diversity Important? - Partnership International.” ​Partnership International,​ 16

Nov. 2018, www.partnershipinternational.ie/why-is-cultural-diversity-important/.