18111 Nordhoff Street

Northridge, CA 91330
October 4, 2022
Catherine Guirre
1234 Oak Street
Simi Valley, CA, 93063

Dear Cathy,

Remember a couple nights ago when you found yourself in a conflict for the introduction of your
biography for dental school. After introducing your name and age, you were struggling between
writing down, “I am Guatemalan” or “I am Latina” or “I am American”. Well I think I can help
you out a bit. After reading an article “Alla en Guatemala” by Lucila D. Ek, she described the
story of a young Guatemalan-American woman named Amalia who constantly faced the same
problem as you throughout her life. When Amalia was eight she proudly identified as
Guatemalan seeing that she was very connected to her culture at the time but as she got older
trying to blend in with society’s description of her, her self-identity issues began to form.
Honestly, this article was an amazing read. I now have a better understanding of the rant about
when someone called your mom Mayan. I am glad you spoke up about it and educated them
about it in a respectful way. I cannot relate to the struggles you and other Central Americans
face but I am open to learning more about it.

Girl now that I think about it, remember when Miguel went off on the girl who is Mexican in our
biology class sophomore year because she wouldn’t stop bringing up how he didn’t know what
the food huaraches are. He raised his voice in class announcing that just because he was brown
doesn’t mean he is Mexican. That is the day most of the class discovered he was Nicaraguan.
After reading interviews in the article “Becoming ‘Hispanic’ in the ‘New South”, Robert A.
Yarbough went into deep Analysis of the identity labels and struggles of Central Americans in
Atlanta. Most of the interviewees had a common identity label of Hispanic besides their main
identity being where they were born. They all told their stories about how people outside of latin
descent or what they referred to as “white people” constantly put them in the “Mexican”
category due to the lack of education. Even though I now see how Miguel was so angry and
maybe he should’ve addressed it in a different manner, I am glad he did something because I
stopped seeing that girl generalizing every hispanic person as Mexican. The racialization
experiences of Central American immigrants are still affecting the youth, the second generation
central Americans are having trouble preserving their culture due to their elders and parents
blending into society. Cathy we were literally talking about this when your sister said she was
not Guatemalan at school. If we don’t continue the traditions, learn the language and educate
ourselves and others, our cultures are going to slip through our fingers!

Why do I tell you all this, well honestly Cathy I think you should write down whatever you
believe is the best way you can describe yourself and not what you think others would label you.
You probably think I sound extreme but the way you identify in your biography can be a big step
on inspiring the youth and showing them how you identify and who you are. You’ve always
embraced your culture and have taught me so much about Guatemalan culture. Don’t ever hide it
and like some of the interviewees don’t be afraid to speak up, don’t try to blend in. If you are still
indecisive think about it like this, go back to when you first started going to dental school. On a
pamphlet you come across a picture of a latina woman talking about her journey in dental school.
How would it make you feel to see that another Guatemalan woman has succeeded in the same
 18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330
October 4, 2022
path you are looking to follow. This is just an opinion but the youth need to be inspired and
educated about being able to embrace their identity and not just label themselves on what society
labels them.
Sincerely,
Daniella Vazquez