respuestas published

“At the end of the day, acceptance is at the core of it, and just being nice to people.”
Sophie Wells is a senior majoring in Civil Engineering with a minor in Film. She identifies as being British and
Argentine, identities that she navigates UCLA with and that have shaped the entirety of her life. To Sophie, she
doesn’t feel “Latina enough.” She feels she constantly has to prove her Latinidad because she doesn’t speak
Spanish, so she has tried to join organizations and groups for Latine students.
Ultimately, she felt isolated due to her relatively different upbringing, mainly when it came to her linguistic ability. To
her, this made her feel that she wasn’t “full Latina.” She looks back to conversations she had with her mom and the
worries she had should her children learn Spanish. Her mother feared that they would feel isolated, a feeling that
many other immigrants also experience when raising children.
Sophie has incorporated her Latine identity into her daily life through the music she listens to and the foods she
eats, especially empanadas and dulce de leche, two iconic Argentine dishes. She grew up calling guacamole
“palta,” the word for the food used in Argentina. Sophie brought up that she is white passing and that she feels like
a “free-floater” as she is mistaken for being only white, but at other times she’s racialized as Latina and seen as
“tan.”
One experience that stood out to Sophie was when she was in a Latine club meeting and they started in Spanish.
While she didn’t let this experience bother her, it reminded her of the feeling of being in a space she felt she didn’t
belong in. While no one actively tried to isolate her, there were no attempts to bring her in.
These experiences of exclusion bothered her during her freshman year, but now she knows that she can find anyone
to connect with, whether they’re similar to her or not. She’s learned not to let it bother her. When it comes to
defining being Latine, Sophie says the value of family. She mentions cooking and music also being at the root of the
community. To her, identity comes from the heart, and that’s what defines it; it’s not necessarily just one’s biology.
Ultimately, Sophie looks towards the start of discussions surrounding curiosity and acceptance. She hopes that
individuals start talking to those around them with different perspectives with an aim to broaden their minds. She
encourages others to be interested in other cultures and learn about the unique traditions of our countries.
Sophie has been better able to embrace her heritage, as she directed a short film titled
“Overworked” about an overwhelmed Hispanic girl, who feels disconnected from her
heritage. Sophie’s mom actually helped her translate the dialogue into Spanish, and
through the production and research, Sophie was able to talk more about her
culture and feel more connected to her Latinidad. It also helped that Sophie
began building a community of Latines around her. The actress and script
editor for the film were both Brazilian and they added their own
experiences. This ultimately helped Sophie immerse her own Latinidad
and that of others to her film.
Sophie now looks to the future with hope for acceptance and
kindness. She knows that all communities need to do better,
but she’s optimistic that the Latine community will be
particularly successful because of our family orientation.
22
Pictured: Sophie Wells