Joanna Casale / El Salvador
My name is Joanna Casale and I come from a Hispanic background. My culture is important to myself as well as those before me because my family has undergone and overcome hardships to get to where we are today. My mother was born and raised on a small hilltop in Santa Teresa, El Salvador, an impoverished country where education and resources were extremely limited. She was one of 18 children, only 9 of which survived through childhood. The lack of health care put them all at risk for illness due to the inability to obtain immunizations. Electricity was unheard of, while drinkable water was a rarity, and their own two feet were the only mode of transportation. Clothing was handmade, and shoes were made of cloth, often times leaving them to walk barefoot. The struggle my mother endured has made her one of the strongest, smartest, and skillful human beings I will ever know. Despite my mother’s work ethic, mental brightness, and desire to pursue schooling, poverty and the necessity to survive and help her family survive prevented her from pursuing education beyond middle school. My mother had her first child, my older sister, while still in El Salvador. When my sister was eight years old, my mother sold everything she owned and immigrated to the United States to pursue the American dream. My mom did not speak a word of English nor was she promised work at the time. This sacrifice was the most selfless decision she could have made as she was pursuing a better life for her children, to stand a chance of survival. I am proud to have grown up in such a loving and resilient family with strong moral values.