The communities I have found myself in have heavily influenced the person I am and the reason why I am where I am today. In many instances I chose to be surrounded by different groups of people, but other times I was born into these communities which have heavily had an impact on me. For example, I was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 2003 with no choice in the matter whatsoever. Why couldn’t my family and I have lived in Joliet, Illinois with our other family members? Why not be raised in Mexico like my dad? Growing up in Kansas City has presented me with many beautiful and unpleasant experiences despite me wanting them. It showed me how my community can come together in times of crisis, like killings and injustices, and other times for celebration, like the Kansas Royals World Series victory in 2015. I take with me these flaws and strengths, which my city has embedded into me to hopefully use in my future endeavors.
A smaller community I was a part of that’s worth mentioning is my church. Being forced to go to church every Sunday and pressured by my family to identify as Catholic showed me how much power a community can have over someone, especially when that person is so young and has no other choice, but to listen and follow. I was in that position once, and sometimes I still found myself being taken to church and listening to what el padre had to say for the week regardless that I was older now. I needed an escape because I couldn’t give my religion what it was asking of me, nor did I want to. Although I chose to study out-of-state for other reasons, I can’t ignore the fact that one of them was to separate myself from my church. By doing so, in a sense, I cut a piece of myself off in order for something new to grow, but this time I will get to choose what blossoms. It’s good to know that while I did leave the church I’m not forgetting about my religion, and it’s healthy to know that sometimes I’ll have to make these difficult decisions to do what feels right for me.
I’ve always been a hard worker and dedicated to learning something new. Learning didn’t always mean it had to be in a classroom, but it could also be in a work setting. When I joined the working community and applied to an amusement park in 2020 I became a part of something fresh. Working at Worlds of Fun taught me about how to operate a ride, work with a team, keep people safe, and more. It also taught me life lessons, like how sometimes you’ll work with people you don’t get along with, or how sometimes you have to compromise even when you don’t want to. Despite all that however, I’m glad I was a Ride Operator for 2 years, and a Certified Trainer for 1. Joining the working community made me aware of how we all just want to survive, and to do that you have to put in the work. I believe I did that, otherwise I wouldn’t have been tasked with training new employees or assigned to operate other roller coasters. I’m proud of myself for being resilient and am grateful to work my way up the ladder to hopefully obtain the career that I want thanks to the learning experience ‘WOF’ gave me.
I suffered, but was also fortunate enough to have attended 2 high schools over my 4 years. It allowed me to have been a part of two communities in the educational sense. One was a charter school, and the other was public. One was very strict and demanding, while the other granted more freedom, along with still having high expectations from their students. I’m glad I left my charter school for Lincoln College Prep. It definitely showed me how new environments and opportunities can affect someone. Although I technically only had one year of a ‘real’ high school experience Lincoln really did teach me a lot about myself. I learned about how extroverted I can be when given the chance. I found out that I like being in leadership positions and am great when it comes to navigating new things. Most importantly, I figured out how the world has so much more to offer and I’d like to explore as much as I can. That’s why I took the first step and chose SIUE as my university.
All the things I have done in my life so far are a part of me. Although I can’t include every community I belong to, I am privileged to have them all attached to my life story. Some of them may now only live in my past, but I still carry their memories with me every day. They have set the foundation of the person I want to be. My hope is that the new communities I find myself in in the future will help strengthen that foundation too, or help build something better. This leads me to mention my most recent community being SIUE. Although I have spent a very brief moment here I have already grown so much. I participated in the Summer Success Program over the summer, I was accepted to partake in a new program called CODES, and I’m excited to say that I’m one of 2 Freshman Senators in Student Government. This would not have been possible without my family and friends, my ups and downs, and my community. I look forward to seeing what else, or whom else to add to the list in the time to come.
Works Cited
Inman, Roy. “Roy Inman Photographs.” Roy Inman Photos, VMA, 8 Dec. 2021,