I'd like to think being born a child of two immigrant parents has made me appreciate my culture, but to be honest, I took a lot of things they've done for me for granted. Misstep after misstep all while not considering how it affects them. I'd be lying if I said I feel like year after year, I've been letting them down more and more. And it's not like I do it maliciously, it's often just selfishness or laziness, without consideration of future consequences. But enough about my negatives, what my experience has shown me, and especially during these times where the current administration has repeatedly screwed us over, is that labels like race are, ultimately, harmful in a way. It's the rich and powerful's way to keep us split and divided. We've been fighting forever wars against the right and left, but never against those above us, something we should've been doing ages ago. I think international events such as the Olympics and the World Cup showcase that unity amongst different groups is possible, and if we stop fighting forever wars against each other, we can identify and end our biggest problems the world has given us. It's about learning and accepting each other's uniqueness to come together and lend a hand when in need. That, I believe, is what I've learned the most from being a child of immigrants.

I feel it's hard to describe myself, even with the topic narrowed down to art, in a way that feels genuine. For the most part, it's usually been 'art journey began when watching cartoons' and '4 years ago is when I took stuff seriously'. Oftentimes I don't elaborate on these two or simply leave out details in moments of stress and panic. People say it's good to have multiple interests, but even with all that I have now, I still feel like a blank slate, a background character, a cog in the system, a number. In terms of my background, I think I can sum myself up as the son of immigrant parents who often takes them for granted. As passionate as I say I am about art and getting a place in the animation or comic book industry, I often don't show it. To be completely honest, I'm a really lazy person. That being said, I appreciate what my family and friends have done for me, the time we've spent together, the things they've introduced to me. I wouldn't have it any other way, and I wouldn't give them up or let them suffer for anything. Alot of what they have shown me has seeped into my art. I'd argue that being introduced to battling top franchise, Beyblade, back in late elementary school caused a resurgence and a gradual spike in the quality of my art, also introduced me to many people who I can still call friends. Three hundred words is honestly not enough to fit in eighteen years worth of stories, let alone go into full detail on many of them, so I'll let my art do the rest of the speaking.

4 years ago, my mother convinced me to join a folklorico group by the name of Amor a Nuestra Cultura (love for our culture). At the time, I assumed this was going to be a one time thing, but cut to four years later and here I am. Still chugging along with the group. I will say, despite 4 years of performances, awards won in competitions, friendships made, I think what I want to accomplish as a dancer is to be able to keep the culture alive. As someone born in the United States to Mexican parents, I think I qualify to say that being able to see a person's roots from their experience is a wonderful thing, and it's something most people fail to understand; after all, our country was built on the foundation of multiple cultures under one nation (also, the liberation from monarchy). With the appalling existence of racism and discrimination, as well as well as what this administration has done to rip apart families because they don't agree with their words or simply for having a little more melanin than they do, many people are afraid to go outside, let alone express themselves. What I'm afraid of the most is not my country of origin losing its identity (Mexico's pride in its culture isn't dying anytime soon), but rather those who are here become too afraid to stand up to this opression. It's a hard battle, one that our government has been making it as hard as possible to win, but I'd rather put up with that over seeing the United States become an even more bleak shade of red, white, and blue than it already is. Thankfully, there's been efforts to course correct. For example, Sin Fronteras, a folklorico event held in Dallas, Texas, brings together many groups not for competition, but as a celebration of Latin culture and is set to have its next event the 1st of August. On an unrelated note, this year's FIFA World Cup has showcased unity among the people in different nations, in Mexico. The U.S., despite having the most matches of the three host nations, has made it hard for visitors to watch matches due to high ticket prices, poor walkability, egregious visa restrictions on people of certain nations and letting ICE roam the streets. While Mexico has been more than welcoming of guest nations and have had a great time bonding and showcasing unity. I think the rich and wealthy know that if we actually stood up and united as a community they would collapse, thus, making efforts to split us apart. I know that they know the first thing to do to silence us is to rip us of the arts, the things that contain our history and expression. I also know that I, along many, won't give in to that opression, not now, not ever.