From Italy to DePauw: Understanding self-discovery in the American heartland
By: Michelena Ferrara
Issue date: 3/9/10 Section: Opinion
Broken English interrupts the otherwise continuous pattern of Italian. The scent of pastas and a recently-cooked, gourmet, three-course meal fill the air. The bickering of sisters, the howling of a puppy and the exhaustion of the day culminates into the otherwise excited and vibrant aura-I am home.
My father came to America when he was twenty. Clinging to his ancestry and vowing by tradition while pledging his allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, he longed and desired for the American dream.
My mother married my father right out of high school and fell quickly into the role of an Italian woman: strong, unyielding, and yet, subdued. She and my father built their own business upon the foundation of morality and betterment, knowing that in the future their children would benefit from the privilege of an education and a better life.
Being the first born into this family, I needed to succumb to my familial roots, yet learn to be American as well. At times I felt torn, wanting to rebel against the traditions so long ingrained, I felt myself abandoning the tradition and customs for a more modern way of thinking. I look back now and reflect, because I know that somewhere in between my rebellion and my traditions, I found myself.
My family, who always advocated education, turned out to be my greatest molder of dreams. Being the first in my entire family to go off to college, I am the fulfillment of my parent's American dream. Plunging ahead, I bring with me the traditions of the past, the knowledge and passion of the present and the willfulness and enthusiastic desire for the future.
Growing up, I was always surrounded by a community that nurtured and embraced my culture and identity. Excited to come to DePauw, and bring that identity with me, I was met with a harsh reality-there was a divided sense of community that was engulfed by a racial identity that I did not inhabit. I was confronted by a choice: minority or majority.
My father came to America when he was twenty. Clinging to his ancestry and vowing by tradition while pledging his allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, he longed and desired for the American dream.
My mother married my father right out of high school and fell quickly into the role of an Italian woman: strong, unyielding, and yet, subdued. She and my father built their own business upon the foundation of morality and betterment, knowing that in the future their children would benefit from the privilege of an education and a better life.
Being the first born into this family, I needed to succumb to my familial roots, yet learn to be American as well. At times I felt torn, wanting to rebel against the traditions so long ingrained, I felt myself abandoning the tradition and customs for a more modern way of thinking. I look back now and reflect, because I know that somewhere in between my rebellion and my traditions, I found myself.
My family, who always advocated education, turned out to be my greatest molder of dreams. Being the first in my entire family to go off to college, I am the fulfillment of my parent's American dream. Plunging ahead, I bring with me the traditions of the past, the knowledge and passion of the present and the willfulness and enthusiastic desire for the future.
Growing up, I was always surrounded by a community that nurtured and embraced my culture and identity. Excited to come to DePauw, and bring that identity with me, I was met with a harsh reality-there was a divided sense of community that was engulfed by a racial identity that I did not inhabit. I was confronted by a choice: minority or majority.
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