The Importance Of Heritage In Our Life

I was born on May 18, 1996 in Santa Fe New Mexico. Although most of my life was spent living in Española, New Mexico, I never considered it where I was from. Rather, it was just the place that I lived. My home was with my grandparents from my mom’s side in Nambe, New Mexico, which can be found about 15 minutes north of Santa Fe as you head to Taos. Growing up, the strongest father figure that I had was my uncle and my grandfather. Although my father was around, he was never truly in my life in my younger years as I would’ve liked him to be. Some adversity happened, and eventually he came around more into my life. This was shorty after my brother was born.

My brother was born when I was five years old, and he the reason that I push myself every day. He is now a senior in High School, and I strive to be the best role model to him that I can possibly be. He and I were our own support systems, and I still try to be there for him as much as I possibly can. Moving forward about myself though, I went to Pojoaque Valley High School and played football for 3 of the four years I was there. I did well academically, and was privileged that I never had to struggle to make good grades. I graduated at the top of my class in 2014. In the fall of 2014, I started college at the University of New Mexico. Entering into college, I began as an Exercise Science major in hopes of becoming a Physical Therapist one day. I then shadowed a Physical Therapist and found out that it was not my calling. I needed something more active and fast paced. I stayed with my original plan for my first year of college, until one of my advisers suggested Athletic Training. I applied to the Athletic Training Program in the fall of 2015 and began my four year program. It has been the best decision I’ve made and am headed into my final year of my program. My two favorite clinical rotations thus far has been the UNM baseball team and Atrisco Heritage Academy.

I am looking to move to Mesa, Arizona for the upcoming semester to begin an internship with the Chicago Cubs. With one semester left, I look back onto my experience through life and appreciate the adversity and obstacles that I have faced. It reminds me to reflect on the great I have in life. Also throughout my life, I’ve relied heavily on the values and morals that I was brought up with. I realized that in my darkest times, I relied on the heritage I grew up to know and love to get me through the tough times. Often, I found myself looking up to people who looked like me and upheld the same ideals as me to rely on as role models. One of the hardest things where I had to put this into practice was during a relationship I recently got out of. The relationship that I was in forced me to reach in to my roots, as many of the values that we had did not coincide. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of who I was. I forgot where I came from. I became someone else. When the relationship ended, I was in the darkest place I had ever been, but it was also a time to reflect. I realized that I had lost who I was and began being proud of who I once was. I remembered where I came from. I was a proud, Hispanic man from northern New Mexico who loves football and the Carolina Panthers.

My first car was a 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass and yes it was a Lowrider. My family uses tortillas for almost every meal and rubs Vic’s on just about any sickness that arises. It was my upbringing that defines me, and that is something I must never forget. It defines my Heritage.