I grew up speaking English and Spanish so they are both my first languages. Both of my parents are from Mexico and I was born here in Santa Barbara. I get teased by my family saying how I’m getting white-washed like my older cousin Steven only being able to understand Spanish but not able to speak it. It was funny at first but I would get sad about it because I am Mexican and I can speak Spanish but I spend most of my time in school speaking English. I remember being asked “where do u come from?” in broken English cuz they thought I only spoke Spanish cuz of my looks. I speak both and I love Mexico and I like California; they are both my homes.

[Part of a series showcasing the work of VADA Sophomores in their English 10 Classes. More information can be found here.]