SandScript 2021

efore. I felt home speaking Spanish and
surrounded by those who understood me.
I did not enjoy the celebration of America
like I once did. I appreciated my parents’
sacrifices for me to live in a country with
more opportunities, but that was the
extent of my love for America. How could I
love a country that hated me?
As a child, I jumped from school
to school, most being private schools
populated by white wealthy families. The
experiences at these schools made it that
much more special when I found where
I felt I belonged, being able to compare
this feeling of community to the opposite
feeling I had felt throughout my time in
private school.
In October of 6th grade, I moved to
the first public school I had ever attended,
Rivera Elementary School. It was filled with
Mexican Spanish speaking people. It felt
loving, nurturing, and it felt like family. Here
was when I felt most utterly and uniquely…
ME.
Though the journey of appreciation
and acceptance of myself and my culture
has been filled with difficult experiences,
I could not be prouder of my culture. I
learned that being born in the U.S. did not
have make me American, nor did I have
to fit into society’s idea of how Mexican I
could really be if I was not born there. My
family is Mexican, my culture is Mexican,
and so am I!
Ashley Carmichael
Desert Blooms
Painting, Watercolor and Ink 18”x24”
55