Being at SWW by Daisy

Being at SWW by Daisy - November 2020 Scholarship Essay

“Go penguins!” Surprisingly, this is not a statement I remember being said often in my 3 years of high school. School Without Walls High School located on the George Washington University campus in Washington, DC, is where I am completing my high school experience. However, it has not been the high school experience I had been dreaming about in middle school. For example, SWW was a small school that did not have a gym or field, which meant we would not be able to have an at-home game for any of our sports teams, so the typical “staying afterschool for a sports game” that is normally shown or talked about in other teenagers’ experiences was out the window. However, it was because of our difference that I was able to be more accepting and confident in all parts of my identity.

In my freshman year, I felt like a disgrace in the Hispanic and Latinx community. I did not speak Spanish well, I did not like a considerable amount of the traditional dishes, and I had not interacted with many Hispanics outside of my own family. Each time I went to a family gathering, I would feel the disappointing stares of my aunts and uncles, and my cousins, especially the ones who had just arrived to the U.S., would give me dirty looks. As a result, I avoided talking about anything mildly related to Hispanics/ Latinx people or culture.

I braced myself to experience a similar kind of treatment at SWW, because there were other Hispanic students there as well. What had happened was quite the opposite. There were many clubs at SWW that helped people embrace who they were, such as the Gender-Sexuality Alliance for LGBT+ people to have a safe space to be themselves or the Asian Culture Club for people of an Asian background (or people of a non-Asian background) to learn more about and embrace the different cultures in different countries in Asia. Even though there was not a club for Hispanic/Latinx culture (yet), it was mesmerizing to see people being able to freely express themselves. I wanted to gain the kind of confidence and acceptance that they had. As a result, I began trying more to learn Spanish, and more about Salvadoran culture, so I could also teach people.

As I continued meeting new peers, I met and became friends with other people who understood what it was like to feel an identity crisis over their ethnicity or race. One of these friends is also Hispanic and Latina, and created the Latino Culture club in our sophomore year. Although the club only lasted about a year, it was a lot of fun. We would meet every Thursday morning and there would be a different presentation about a country in Latin America each day. One of my favorite experiences was when we had a fundraiser event( to make money for the club) during lunch, and we sold common treats, such as cupcakes, and treats common among the Latin American community. Since SWW offered off-campus lunch, which many students took advantage of, we were able to have the fundraiser in the lobby of the school, which attracted attention from teachers and students. During this fundraiser, many people bought the candy or treats and asked us questions from what the treats were to why it is important to learn about the different countries in Latin America. My friends and I happily answered these questions. As I handed out cupcakes and Payaso Paletas, I felt my heart swell with happiness. If younger me could see me now, she would be mesmerized. In total, we raised about $73, and although I may never see what that money will be used for, I’m delighted that it is there for anyone who may want to continue or start a new Latino Culture club in the future.

I am Hispanic and Latina. The only thing I can do about it is embrace it. Embraced it, I did. It was like I became a star in the galaxy. I did not become the Sun, but being up there with the other stars was magical. Even though my family still feel wary of whether to call me Hispanic /Latina, it doesn’t bother me as much, because I am Daisy Diaz, whether they like it or not. Part of being Daisy is that I am not the perfect Latina that people expect, which is okay.

As my time comes to a close at SWW, and my journey into adulthood continues on, I hope to help others accept their light or fire, so that one day, they too can become stars, and the sky is just a bit more bright.