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Telling their own stories

May 7, 2008

jennifer_martinez.JPGAlex Reyes, 15, has an important story to tell. It’s a common one amongst his peers — his parents came to the United States from Mexico in search of a better life, but in trying to provide that, spend little time with their children.

As a journalist, my instinct is to tell that story. A year ago, I would have. I would have interviewed Alex, maybe his parents, and written about his life.

But I didn’t do that. After spending a year in the Reynold’s School of Journalism master’s program at the University of Nevada, Reno, I took a different approach.

Instead of telling his story, I let him do it.

And not just Alex. I spent about two months working with Latino students in the Mi Cultura club at Incline High School. We discussed issues particular to Hispanics in a high school known for its wealth and privilege.

At the high school, 26.5 percent of its 407 students are Hispanic. Typically, I would have been drawn to that population out of journalism’s mandate to give voice to the voiceless.

But all of that is changing. Anyone can post to the Internet. No longer is the journalist the gatekeeper of information.

Yet there are still those with no voice, perhaps now more than ever. Those with little education, wealth or minorities typically either do not have access to the Internet or don’t use it as much — leaving their voices unheard.

I wanted to work with students as a way to change that.

About 10 of them showed up for the first meeting. We began with a casual conversation, but that conversation set the tone for about two months of lunch hours we would spend together.

teri.JPGOn the forefront of most of their minds was education. All of them felt the importance of not only graduating from high school, but going on to college. They knew the sacrifices their parents had made — many of them immigrating to the United States and working long hours at difficult jobs — to give the students better opportunity.

Jacky Andrade, 15, said her mother, who didn’t finish high school, has always emphasized that her children graduate. Jacky plans to be the first girl in her family to get her high school diploma. Rather than write that story, I let her tell it herself in a video.

When Karen Duran, 17, graduates from college, she’ll be the first in her family to do so. Karen wrote an essay talking about the difficulty of applying for colleges when her parents had no experience, nor could they proofread her application.

In her video, she explains the pressure she feels knowing how hard her parents work in construction and housecleaning to provide her the opportunity for higher learning.

Laura Smith, English-as-a-second-launguage teacher at Incline High School, said it is typical of Hispanic parents to want their children to go on to college, and the school supports that goal.

The school reports that 93 percent of its graduates go on to college. Of that, 75 percent attend a four-year school, while 18 percent choose a two-year college.

Smith said much of the focus of senior-year English is on writing essays for college applications and scholarships.

“There’s a ton of scholarship money at Incline High School,” she said. “If they have a desire to go, they can go. It’s a huge push here to get kids into college.”

However, she said, there is a distinction between the Latino students in the Mi Cultura group, many of whom were either born in the U.S. or have lived the majority of their lives here, and the students enrolled in her ESL classes.

Rather than focus on college, she said, these students are mainly focused on learning English. And many aren’t sure of their plans after high school.

“Most of them are uncertain about their futures,” she said. “They’ll tell me they’re going back to Mexico, then a couple of months later they’ll say they’re staying.”

For those students, she said, she focuses on giving them sufficient language skills to complete high school, and works with those who are successful to move on to college.

Although many of the parents spend a lot of time working, Smith said, they are also supportive of their children.

Johnny Luna wrote how his parents always make time for the family.

J.J. Rodriguez, 16, admires his father’s work ethic, and is this video explains how he’s following in his dad’s footsteps, working 40 hours a week while attending high school.

Not every student submitted a story. Many of them did not, even those who participated in conversations ranging from racism, to immigration and their futures as well as the future of their culture.

It was frustrating at times trying to get them to transfer their thoughts onto paper or into photographs. But in looking back, maybe the conversations we had were just as important.

I came away with a better understanding of who they are and what they want from life. I think they did too.

And as they grow older, I hope they help others understand them and work to understand others. I hope they’ll join the conversation. This project is just the beginning.

Related posts: [ American Dream can be elusive ] [ Talking about immigration ] [ Site set up to encourage Hispanic participation ] [ Student overcomes obstacles to go to college ] [ Student shares story of hard work ] 

Written by Teri Vance · Filed Under Feature #1, Voices 

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