For people like us: A navigation of life and college

A multimedia project by Katrina Perce

December 10 2024

Antonio Fuentes Solis is a sophomore student studying Chemistry and Chinese. Antonio was born in Tanhuato, Michoacan, Mexico and was raised in Gardnerville, Nevada. His family, some still living in Michoacan, others living in Fresno, California and Salt Lake City, Utah, making his immediate family the only ones of his area.

Growing up in Gardnerville, Antonio was not surrounded by many family members because they are living in other areas. He connects to his culture through his daily life in terms of values, norms, and chosen traditions.

Antonio’s graduating class included a little over 300 people, with only a portion of students being Hispanic. With Spanish being his first language and growing up in predominantly white institutions led to an absence of appreciation of Hispanic culture. Antonio was fond with the English language, picking it up at home with his brothers, and using less Spanish in the house.

In growing up around non-Spanish speaking peers, Antonio’s environment reflected his interactions with his family. Contacting his family in Mexico is sparse, as he does not use informal Spanish language when speaking with his cousins and grandparents. Becoming surrounded by other Hispanic students too, Antonio experiences different interactions than other Hispanic students, as his first instinct is not to speak his native language.

Though his family does not celebrate certain aspects of his culture, Antonio still holds his customs that he was raised with close to him. Despite growing up around multiple predominantly white institutions, Antonio still experiences culture shocks at the University. He witnesses differences between his values and of those he has recently met in college.

Now in college, Antonio feels closer to other students of immigrant parents, relating to experiences within the system and the impact that immigration has on American families.

As he has grown older, Antonio has realized the importance and need to uphold and maintain his own culture while in college. Though he is living at home, Antonio spends a majority of his time on campus, away from his parents. He takes this as an opportunity to implement these values in his daily life at the University.

Antonio feels that the University resources implemented have been beneficial to himself along with many other of his friends of different cultures. He shares that there is always something more to be done, especially considering the larger population of Hispanic students in the city of Reno in comparison to the University. Antonio sees a brighter future of University efforts to support and become a multiple culture serving institution.