Gia E. ’27 is a proud Latina whose parents immigrated to the United States to provide her with a better life. Being the first generation in her family to pursue higher education, she has set ambitious goals for herself. Gia’s dream is to graduate from college and earn her master’s degree, not only to secure a brighter future for herself but also to improve the lives of her parents. Through friends, Gia joined the Latinas Unidas club inspired to make a difference in the Carondelet community.
“To me, Latinas Unidas means we come together as a Latin community and make it our mission to support each other.”
Throughout her journey at Carondelet, Gia has had support systems in and out of Latinas Unidas. She specifically mentioned her teacher Raghda Abouelnaga. “ [She] is always intrigued by my heritage and always makes me feel so confident in myself, she’s a very supportive teacher overall”.
Gia’s pride in her heritage shines best when she reflects on the value of bilingualism. “I remember someone telling me that I’m so lucky to be Latina because there are some people who would love to be bilingual and shouldn’t take it for granted”.
To younger students just beginning to explore their own Hispanic heritage at Carondelet, Gia offers some advice: “Enjoy it. Embrace your heritage and the gift of being bilingual. Some people would love to have what you have.”