My name is Guadalupe Guzman. When the first time I went to Honduras. Cause it was my first time meeting my mom’s family and my dad’s grandmother when she was – I mean, my dad’s mom when she was still alive. I guess that was the greatest memory I had as a child because I was able to experience their childhood like how they lived and meet family I’ve never met.

For Honduras you don’t really – Culture is more seen with food. There’s not like a celebration except there’s like Santa Semana, which is basically you just appreciating like all the gods. Like the main gods, like Virgin Mary. For a whole week we’re doing that.

So it was a culture shock when I saw like there’s electricity here more often. You can depend on electricity. Over there, there’s days where you can’t depend on it. I remember when I was there, there was like two, three days where we didn’t have electricity So it was a culture shock at first, but that showed me how much like, there’s like no money there. And then so like no government help at all. So it was very surprising.

My dad still has the mentality that a woman should stay home, and I’ve had arguments with my father with that. I was like “no, like not gonna happen.” Because my mom also grew up with that mentality like the woman needs to care of everything. And I was like, “I’m not gonna be doing that.” Like I’m gonna do my own thing. Like the mentality now: you can become anything you want, put your mind to it. You don’t have to be the maid of the house or anything. So because I experience firsthand at home that’s what most of the girls do and having the mentality from here, all the exposure Cedar Crest gave me, it’s shaped me more than I thought.

Many Hispanics or Latin people who live here, they have really big expectations where if they graduate from high school they go to work or go to college to do better. Because they’re going to be the next ones to support the family. So since I was a little kid, my parents pushed education, education. Because that’s the most important thing that’s gonna be a part of my life. That’s where it’s gonna get me to a big time job to make the extra money that is needed. So I’ve had that pressure since I was a little kid. Most families do. If you graduate high school, you directly have to go into work to be able to support, support your family. So there’s always been that pressure on me. Even now I still have that pressure.

All of my family, I’m the first person to come to college. So, the first one who actually graduated from high school. I’m mostly the first person to get through college. That’s what makes me proud and that my family is there to support me no matter what. Even if there’s like negative comments or anything, I’m still going, trying to keep going, because I’m trying to be a better person. The strive in me makes me proud of myself.