"I didn’t feel like had much exposure to my own culture, to my roots, other than from family."

Oscar G.

"Both my parents are from Durango, Mexico, and so am I. I was three years old when I moved to the US. For the first couple of years [in the US], I didn’t feel like had much exposure to my own culture, to my roots, other than from family and other Spanish speakers. People would tell me about their trips to Mexico and the beauty of it. As I grew older, I became more connected to my culture, especially once I started dancing. I started dancing when I was twelve and have been dancing for ten years. Dancing, school, and getting into the workforce has helped me to connect with my Mexican culture. I have not had a chance to go back to Mexico to experience it all in a long, long time. I hope to go back one day so that I may experience my culture for myself."

"Mis padres son de Durango, México, y yo también. Tenía tres años cuando me mudé a EE. UU. Durante los primeros años [en los EE. UU.], no sentí que tuviera mucha exposición a mi propia cultura, a mis raíces, aparte de mi familia y otros hispanos. La gente me contaba sobre sus viajes a México y la belleza del país. A medida que crecí, me conecté más con mi cultura, especialmente una vez que comencé a bailar. Empecé a bailar cuando tenía doce años y he estado bailando durante diez años. El baile, la escuela y mis empleos me han ayudado a conectarme con mi cultura mexicana. No he tenido la oportunidad de volver a México para experimentarlo todo en mucho, mucho tiempo. Espero volver algún día para poder experimentar mi cultura por mí mismo."