Editor:
I just got back from spending three months in Nicaragua. I was in search of “cultural identity” because my parents had to learn English and forget who they were when they came to America to fit in back in the ’80s. They spoke to us in English and did things “the American way.” This is very common among minority people our age because life was different back then. Luckily, these days it’s “cool” to be from a different culture. This way, we learn about each other.
I went to high school in West Valley where I felt comfortable with “Mis padres son de Nicaragua” because the diversity was so high and I’m sure it continues to be. That was in West Valley. Things are different there from the East side.
Then I went to the University of Utah. It was much harder to find someone who was from Guatemala or El Salvador, and then I began to feel uncomfortable with who I was-who I am.
This trip made me realize I never felt uncomfortable in high school but I did at the U. I figured, “When I go back, I’ll go join a club because maybe I can hang out with people who know what it’s like…who know what gallo pinto is!” and share the experiences with my open-minded, diverse set of friends. (See: “They rob students of the confidence they will badly need in the “real world.”)
I came back to read all of the responses to Tiara C. Fuller’s column (“Clubs on campus are racist and divisive,” Aug. 1). I thought it was great! Fuller will never know what it means to be a minority group (I guess she’s ignoring all the possibilities she has for being a woman). At this point, it’s just LIFE and you just need to accept it. I know I’m a statistic, but I’ve accepted it. Nevertheless, Fuller will never go to a country with people of color and see what life is really like for them or see what it is like to be a visitor in another country.
She’ll stay in that isolated bubble while the rest of us seek harmony and acceptance with the world past Salt Lake City, Utah.
Michele MedinaSenior, Art History