Anisa Navarro

GEN ST 391 M
WEEK 11
Final Reflection

I often find myself having to reflect on my story and past experiences to show others how

far I’ve made it. Maybe even prove that I’m not one of the negative stereotypes that are

portrayed against my people. It took me a while to find pride in my story, because for the longest

I was ashamed of my background. I was ashamed of being low income, of having parents who

spoke with an accent because they were immigrants. I was ashamed of having “different” foods

to bring to the table at lunch during elementary. The key moment of when I started to find pride

in my story is kind of hazy. All I know is one day I realized I had a hole in my existence because

I didn’t know much of who I am, nor who I was supposed to be. So, with that in mind, I had

started to reach out to the Latino club at my high school, and I had connected with dozens of

other Latinos and started to find pride in my differences and within my culture. However, the

club I was in was more than a social club, but one that prioritized advocacy. Which was when I

first started to dive into advocacy and legislative work. Since my first experience in advocating

for bills, I was inspired to make that my life’s work; to advocate and change policies that help

marginalized communities.

In terms of ‘Leadership in a Time of Disillusionment’, I have never experienced

disillusionment. I was always aware of any injustices that occurred because it occurred right in

the heart of my community - of my family. To be apathetic, is far more dangerous than hatred or

simply not caring. To be apathetic is to be void of any emotions, and to be indifferent to

oppression. However, I was not always at the heart of all injustices – as my different injustices

surrounded different identities. The way I worked to be aware of all injustices was to keep an
open ear and open heart. I remained empathetic always, as to connect and make these injustices

just as personal as my own experienced injustices. I kept an open ear to learn from the voices of

others, to better educate myself on matters. For example, I am not indigenous, but I know the

oppression of indigenous people is a matter that is heavy, and that still needs awareness. I cannot

teach strategies on how to care for others. But one thing I can recommend or teach is just to keep

an open heart and be empathetic, and to open your ears to listen to others.

As far as I can recall I don’t believe any setback has made me feel disillusioned.

However, I have experienced setbacks where I became so overwhelmed with how exactly I was

to be a leader. With the rise of the BLM protests, violations of indigenous rights, anti-

immigration policies, rising xenophobia, and the loss of woman autonomy, I was putting so

much of myself to be an ally and my own voice for my issues. It took me a while to realize I

didn’t have to always wear myself thin to speak out against every issue on earth. I didn’t have to

be every single occupation imaginable to fix all the intersections of injustice. With that I needed

to go back to my roots and realize what exactly I wanted to accomplish. As a daughter of an

immigrant, I saw the struggles my parents went through to give me a better life. In the end, I

want to repay them for all they’ve done, by helping others just like them. So, whenever I stress

about what exactly I am supposed to do I simply slow down, take a deep breath, and remember

who and what I’m being a leader for.

One important lesson I’ve learned about leadership, is that you are not alone. With the

beginning of my leadership journey, I was surrounded by a community all working towards a

common goal. And as my high school career came to an end, and my community all ventured

into different paths to a different future, it was easy to feel alone. However, I had created such a

strong bond with my community, and we had worked towards a common goal that connected us
for so long, that as I continued to move on and make a new community in a college setting, I

could still rely on past relationships for extra inspiration. With that, my leadership continued to

grow alongside myself. Which I also learned about leadership; is that there is not one clear cut of

what leadership is, as I continue to grow and evolve into a better version of myself so does what

constitutes as leadership. As a child leadership could be stepping up and helping around the

house as the oldest child, and as a teenager leadership can be taking accountability and making

choices that are good for you.

My identity regarding who I am (woman, Latina, from a low-income family) has greatly

impacted my life. Even though it was complicated growing up being from low-income, it has

given me the strength I need today to make it through. I was always humble growing up, and I

never took monetary things for granted. I knew how hard my parents worked, and how hard they

tried to keep the lack of money and lack of food in the fridge a secret. I don’t believe my

background complicated my leadership practice at all, because without it, I wouldn’t be who I

am today. My different identities all played a role in what inspires me to create change. My

different identities allow me to find inspiration and passion to create change and bring power

back to marginalized groups.

My call to action for my peers in terms of strengthening their leadership capacity is to be

kind to yourself. To be a great leader means to be able to listen and be empathetic to those you

lead. Including yourself. Often in the world of leadership comes serving others. However, as

important as service is, without caring for oneself and continuing to find inspiration in life, our

leadership skills will be dull. So, my call to action is to be kind and listen to yourself as you

would listen to others. Know what you need, and what you can handle. And with this, by finding

peace in ourselves and our solitude, we will be able to greatly lead others. We will be able to
handle what is thrown at us and be able to be more kind to others. Opening our heart and ears

also means we open our heart and ears to listen and love ourselves.