Yazmine Milena Garcia Blog

La Pura Vida
June 1, 2020

In October 2019, I took a leap of faith and studied abroad. I traveled to a small town in Baja California Sur, Mexico named Todos Santos. This was my home for the next two months but I found myself to be torn between two identities. I was not born in Mexico and I certainly did not have to cross an international border to attain a better lifestyle. But the struggles remain, I’ve had to witness family members voluntarily return to Mexico in hopes of speeding up their “Naturalization” process. They’ve had to return to a country they know very little about because they left when they were just toddlers. I’ve witnessed my grandparents mourn the loss of their loved ones back in Mexico while they were stuck on the other side of the border. Fearful of the fact that if they even tried visiting their Mexico quierdo (beloved) they would be stuck there. I’ve witnessed women in my family put up with emotional and physical abuse because they were threatened to have immigration called on them if they even thought about leaving their partner. I have been denied service or have had to wait longer to attain service at a restaurant due to the color of my skin and how I carry myself as a person in a public setting. And I have not been taken seriously in a delicate situation where I know my white counterparts would have had the situation escalated. 

 I am a descendant of immigrants who migrated to the U.S in search of opportunities for a better life than what they had in Mexico. I attended American public schools and was immersed into a culture that I didn’t have the capacity of understanding until my freshman year of college. Since then, I have found myself taking advantage of each opportunity that finds me. For example, the privilege to study abroad in a country so dear to my family, Mexico. This opportunity gave me the capacity to understand life in a world outside of my own. Because true cultural immersion goes beyond education in the language. It is one thing to speak but another to truly understand. For once, I don’t have to worry about being seen as the ‘other’. I’m not worried about the color of my skin because it is the same as everyone else’s. I am accepted, rich or poor, and I know this is my home.  This, mi Mexico querido, is where my soul has been longing to be.  

While in Mexico, I was amazed at the ways natives to this area accommodate to white people or other white-passing foreigners. The people now have to adapt to a fast-paced economy and find the means to make a living different from what they used to know. Some will even go the extra mile to learn English just so that they can tend to their American counterparts. It’s interesting to reflect on the many extents people will take to accommodate tourists, like having menu’s in English, playing English music, or having business signs in English. But on the other side of the border, most people would not even think twice about burying a language barrier. People in America will not accommodate to their Mexican counterparts. Instead, people in America will say “this is America, here we speak English. Learn to speak English or go back where you came from”. What a shame. Many of us are too demanding, too ignorant, and too unappreciative of life itself. Some of us would not know how to live a simple life because we’re used to getting everything that we want, not what we need. It’s completely different in Mexico. Everyone makes do with what they HAVE. They do not fuss if they can’t get those new shoes. They do not fuss if they can’t get that new wallet. They fuss about where their next meal is coming from, or if they cannot pay the next bill on time. As long as they have clothes on their backs, food in their stomachs, and a roof over their heads, nothing else matters. In Baja there’s a phrase known as La Pura Vida, meaning The Pure Life. This was not only a phrase but a lesson for me, a lesson that taught me to appreciate my surroundings. I’ve learned the value of a simple life, the value of saying good morning/day/night, and the beauty of the world itself the sand, the sky, the water. We are very fortunate to be on this Earth, don’t forget to be thankful for this beautiful, pure life. 

Life... Si Se Puede
July 2, 2019

The biggest benefit I have gained by being a Law School Si Se Puede Fellow are my mentors. I truly don’t know where I would be without them. They have helped me edit papers, navigate resources on campus, and maintained open minds with shoulders to cry on when I needed it most. This first year of school has been a rollercoaster for me but now I am nearly done with my first year of college and I could not have done it without the support of my mentors. At the very end of Winter Break and the beginning of Spring semester, I was at the point of giving up. I went through several traumatic events including a terrible car accident and matters involving the health of my family members. I felt as if I could not catch a break and I started to become overwhelmed-often unsure of where to start putting the pieces back together again.

Externally, I typically reflect a strong persona and resilience, but these experiences left me feeling the weakest I had ever felt in my life. In addition, I was far away from home and was coming to terms with being a first-generation college student which means I have experienced and continue to experience things in college which my family will never understand. Sometimes this is the most challenging part. I remember going home and my family members asked me “How’s school going?” and my response was always “It’s going good but it’s hard.” Everyone always replied to me “Well, you can do it.” When my family looks at me, they see hope. They see hope in my goals and dreams. They have trust in what the future holds for me, but they do not know firsthand about the mental strength needed to continue to further my education. Even though for me I was coming back home to my sanctuary, my family, my peace and yet I did not find the same refuge in my family because I am not understood. Though my family believes my future is bright, they are not always supportive of the ways I am changing. In school, I am expanding my horizons. I have been fortunate to learn about the world and my culture thanks to my Ethnic Studies courses. I have grown so much as a person and the more I learn about the world around me, the more I feel I am changing for the better. But when I come home my family views these changes as being negative. I hear a lot of “This is what you go to school and learn?” Although the intentions are never to hurt my feelings it does because I want to make them proud of me. I know I have the full support of my family, but I have felt so alone in this process.

All of this is why I adore and am thankful for my mentors. My mentors are a constant reminder to me that I can graduate college and pursue the career I want to pursue. LSSSP did such an amazing job partnering me with mentors who click with me. I know change is inevitable and sometimes perceived as bad, but I know good will always come from it. Although adjusting to the changes has had an impact on the relationships with my family, I also unknowingly created a new family of three strong women through my mentorship. My mentors are in my corner rooting me on and picking me up when life knocks me down. Susan, Eileen and Cierra, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart because you all see the light inside me even when it gets a little dim. Thank you.

“Sí, Se Puede” is a phrase born of farmworkers, who, under the leadership of the UFW, César Chávez, and Dolores Huerta, fought valiantly for equal protection under the law. As a result of the efforts of the UFW, “Sí, Se Puede” has become well known as a call that engenders hope and inspiration in those who face similar battles. We thank the UFW, whom we acknowledge to be the sole and exclusive owner of the Trademark SI SE PUEDE, for granting us a limited license to use“Sí, Se Puede” in connection with our efforts to recruit, in Colorado, students of Hispanic or Latino descent for our law school pipeline program. For more information about the programs offered by the UFW, please see UFW’s webpage (www.ufw.org); UFW Foundation’s webpage (www.ufwfoundation.org); and UFWF’s immigration services webpage (www.sisepuede.org)