Celebrating Latino Heroes Close to Home
Hispanic Heritage Month gives the author a reason to pause and consider the sacrifices her El Salvadorian immigrant parents made to send their four children to private schools and college
As always during Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated this month, we celebrate the Latinos who have helped define our cultural identity and have proven we have the power to change this world. Many Latinos have inspired me to follow my own personal aspirations.
Journalists like Jorge Ramos have shown not only that Latinos can be at the forefront of the news, but also that we dont always have to pursue traditional career roles. Artists like Shakira and Enrique Iglesias, whose abilities to cross borders musically demonstrate that Latinos can gracefully dominate both the Latino and American cultures. And activists like Cesar Chavez, whose courage and fighting spirit has transcended generations to inspire Latinos even today.
Exemplary Latinos Close to Home
But when it comes to the people who inspire me most, I dont have to search far from home. My parents continue to be my biggest inspiration. I know what youre thinkingsuper cliché, right? But I can honestly say my parents are my heroes and the reason I am sitting here typing this article. My mom and dad are the epitome of what it means to be exemplary Latinos.
They have never owned a house or a fancy car. They never went on exotic vacations or clothed themselves with brand names. But they have given my siblings and me the greatest luxuryan education.
My parents, Fabio and Alma, left their native El Salvador in September 1981 at the height of the Civil War. They headed to the U.S. to pursue what every parent wants for their childa safe, prosperous future. Though they wanted the best for their children, they never imagined they would one day see them all graduate from college. I know because my dad often tells me this today.
Though my parents didnt always have the money to get us the toys or the clothes we wanted, they made sure to provide their four children with the best private schooling in San Francisco. We grew up in a humble home, but one thing we never lacked was knowledge.
