Fulbright Personal Statement

I since I know this essay is a winner, I figure I may as well put it up.


PERSONAL STATEMENT
Maria Ramirez, Jordan, English Teaching Assistantship
“Ms. Ramirez, I don’t mean to be all up in your business, but is you and your family… illegal?” I decided to take a break from –AR verb conjugations to watch and discuss a documentary about young Central American immigrants making their way north to the United States. And instead of being highly offended at this no-so-politically correct question, I thanked Alexander for speaking up and used it to turn the discussion towards every teacher’s dream: the “teachable moment.”
Whereas five years ago I may have turned up my nose at such a question and deemed someone ignorant for asking it, I find my reaction to be quite different these days. As a second-year middle school Spanish teacher and the only Hispanic adult in the school building, I have grown accustomed to misunderstandings about my birthplace in America’s Dairyland and inquiries about how I speak English so well.
Growing up in a small and rather conservative city, I was a very confused teenager. Should I be annoyed with the people who seem to only focus on my “exotic look” or should I enjoy getting a leg up in acceptance on committees because it looked good to have a Ramirez on the roster? It was not until I had the chance to leave my hometown and explore other parts of the world that I decided I did not have to choose one or the other; instead I greatly benefitted from my identity in that it actually allowed me to become a cultural chameleon, adapting to any culture, context or community in which I would find myself.
Spending six weeks with a conservative Muslim host family in a suburb of Cairo put this notion to the test. As an 18-year-old Wisconsinite who had never before experienced any big city, Cairo was the ultimate first introduction to traffic, overcrowding and culture shock. Sharing a three-bedroom apartment with an Egyptian family of six, I certainly had to adapt. No longer was I an independent American high school graduate with a part-time job, car and her parents’ complete trust. Instead, I was an illiterate, unmarried Muslim daughter, totally dependent on her parents and family for food, transportation and lessons in cultural competency.
For this reason, my visit to the Middle East was not your typical see-the-pyramids, ride-a-camel vacation. But for the same reason, I credit this sole experience for preparing me mentally and emotionally for everything that came after. Being engrained into a culture and society so different from my own, I realized that that I did not have to be limited by the stereotypes that other people cast upon me and no two labels were mutually exclusive. Instead, I could be “mi hija” to my Mexican-American grandmother, “ya habibti” to my Egyptian mother and father and “Maria” to my American family and friends.
My identity has continued to shift and transform especially after becoming a teacher as part of Teach for America’s national education movement. Over the past year, I have found myself in countless new roles, some of which- mentor, educator, behavior monitor- I expected, and others- lunchroom supervisor, Spanish interpreter, public education advocate- which I did not. Yet, all of which I embrace as part of my ever-evolving identity.
I know that I am potentially throwing myself into a quite uncertain scenario where I could be living in either a big city or small village, teaching perhaps small children or adults. But knowing that my life experiences have led me to be able to find my way around a 19-million person urban jungle and manage a classroom of 37 thirteen-year-olds makes me confident that no matter the responsibilities placed upon me, I will manage. I will struggle until I find what is right and what is appropriate for where I am and for the task at hand. And through it all, I will share with my students a part of each of my past experiences while asking for their help in shaping my current experience and future identity.