slackermommd…
it is a little different in that being an asian applying to say an IVY will hurt you.(sadly)on the other hand hispanic will not be bad to check the box.
the op is aware of the advantages …but conflicted and wants validation to do so.
it makes me reflect on many of the absurdities of college admissions in this country.
Hispanic is not a race. I am both Caucasian and Hispanic, first generation American on my father’s side, he was born in Cuba, his parents born in Cuba, prior to that family was in Spain. Dad learned English after moving to the states, my grandparents never really did after they came here. I and my sons all chose to study Spanish as our second language to honor our family heritage.
If you meet the definition used by the school, check the box. I have no qualms about my sons doing so. It’s all just a numbers game to the schools to show how “diverse” they are. With the ridiculous cost of college, if it might give you an edge, take it.
It darn sure wasn’t just the 60’s and 70’s that immigrants tried to assimilate, slackermommd.
I wasn’t talking about the effects of checking a box. I’m talking about how it is totally legitimate to be Hispanic (or any ethnicity/nationality) without speaking the language or even having the “culture” in one’s home.
btw, Ivy isn’t an acronym - no need for all caps.
@younghoss , sounds to me like this might be the first time,(in a long time, at least) that this student has really considered his background.
“I wasn’t talking about the effects of checking a box. I’m talking about how it is totally legitimate to be Hispanic (or any ethnicity/nationality) without speaking the language or even having the “culture” in one’s home.”
I get what you said…but the OP feels …perhaps a little “guilty” checking the box. if it were not for the desire to help increase the OP child’s chances playing the admissions game they probably could care less. they are not asking about language, culture etc… just looking for some strangers to give a little validation on CC.
p.s. IVY in all caps is intended …it is not an acronym but it is a brand the way I see it.
If they don’t identify themselves as Hispanic and they end up with some big scholarship instead of a kid who really feels Hispanic then IMO well that’s just plan wrong. However if it’s a guaranteed scholarship to ALL Hispanic kids then it’s fine.
isn’t that what’s called situational ethics?
My older D didn’t check the box for Hispanic even though her grandmother and great grandmother were from
Argentina. In a scholars class discussing race and ethnicity that D took as a freshman at NYU, she was called out for not considering herself Hispanic by her professor and classmates. Their argument was that she did not want to “own” her Hispanic heritage because of her preconceived notions of Hispanics being poor, underprivileged and in need of a boost to succeed. And when you think of it, they were right. She had a stereotype in mind, and felt she did not fit it. She felt that as a white from a well to do suburb, she shouldn’t check the box. However, she probably would not have hesitated to check white or Russian or Austrian.
But after seeing it from her professor’s perspective, she began to see herself as an Hispanic, Russian, and Austrian white woman. She does not speak any of the languages from her ancestor’s homelands, and has gotten over the guilt.
" a scholars class discussing race and ethnicity" .
and they told her what she thought and believed…
oy vey
when I think of argentia and the people I think of privilege and europe.
and a place were lots of nazi’s fled to after world war 2.
also a place that allowed jews in during the 1920-30’s…
are your relatives jewish who left europe but after america shut it’s borders to jews. (just a guess)
Also having relatives from Argentina, I used to not consider myself Hispanic also because of those of preconceived notions I thought didn’t apply to me, especially with those Argentine relatives were of direct European descent. It took a while for me to realize I was feeding into those stereotypes by not embracing that as part of my heritage - and that it didn’t take away from my “whiteness” to do so.
And oh, yes, Argentina was so privileged. Not like the Dirty War completely terrorized the state or anything /sarcasm
Argentina could have been a major world power economically, technology, medically etc… if they did not have that messed up period in the 20th century it never really bounced back and lost it’s trajectory. sadly…even if Buenos aires is still a beautiful city as is most of Argentina…it has lost it’s way.(still a very cool place) on a side note brazil was rapidly pushing it’s way to a the top of countries to live in and had so much hope and energy and it was on it’s way to be economic powerhouse with a modern educated society. sadly it is in a free fall ! it is so sad and I hope it can pull the breaks on that and get back on track!
@zobroward You are partially correct. H’s family were Polish Jews, but they came to Argentina in the early 1900’s. The Argentinian gov’t encouraged the formation of Jewish communities from Poland as early as the 1880’s.
What on earth is this nonsense about someone being less of their heritage because they don’t speak the language?
You know why many people do not speak their ancestral tongue? Because it was quite literally beaten out of them. When my mom and her brothers came here, her older brother remembers being hit and thrown into detention for daring to speak Spanish in their school. You quickly learn not to and you lose the language. At this point, I speak better Spanish than my mother from Spain but not because it is a heritage language for me- rather it is because I decided that I wanted to work with populations that speak Spanish.
We don’t tell people they’re not African American because they don’t speak an African language nor do we tell Asian Americans that they’re not Asian because they only speak English.
Again, whether or not you want to identify with a heritage is up to you (mostly- some scholarships have certain guidelines which must be followed). Many of us even belong to in-between races/ethnicities that don’t fit nicely into any one box or even multiple boxes.
The OP’s children should decide for themselves whether or not that label applies to them. The grandmother shouldn’t have a say (IMO) and neither should the mom, really. They are both allowed to speak their piece but beyond that it is an individual’s decision (again, within guidelines if applicable).
The term “Hispanic” as it is used in scholastic and government context is a catch- all creation of the US government. Until you have to answer some stupid government or scholastic question, I think few people consider themselves “Hispanic”.
My dad considered our surname to be of Spanish origin, our heritage Cuban, but like most of his generation was most proud of being a naturalized American citizen and fighting for our country in WW II.
Just looking back at this thread. Sylvan got it right in post #14 (thanks, Sylvan). No one said anyone had to join any club. Was just giving it as an example of what one might consider if they identified with a group. Yes, one can mark hispanic if they are 1/4 hispanic. The question that is sometimes asked is if the person identifies as such.
And hispanic , as described above, is having ancestors from the listed countries. It is not about the spoken language of Spanish.
(crossposted with younghoss)
I don’t think it is cheating to take scholarships or get advantages because of your family, even if you don’t identify with the group giving the scholarships or aid. Children of military members may get GI Bill money while they themselves (the children of military members) do not like the military, do not intend to enter the military, etc. Students can get scholarships from groups they have no connections with and don’t care about - the DAR, the Elks, Coke.
If the scholarships is intended for those who are Hispanic, and the group defines Hispanic as being at least 1/4 blood of a relative from listed countries, well, then those are the rules. What if a student is 100% Mexican, but all grandparents and great grandparents have been in the US for 5 or 6 generations? Is the person still Hispanic since 100% of his ancestry is American citizens? Ethnically, I’d say yes. By definition on the application, maybe not.
The analogy to the post 9/11 GI bill transferability option is off the mark, ignorant and a bit offensive. Did you serve in the military? Did your children experience that life with someone who has (or will have) had the required years of service in the military? Doubtful if you think that life, and the option to simply check a box claiming 1/4 hispanic to get a scholarship, are comparable. Wow. Just wow.
Scholarships sponsored by some organizations may or may not require affiliation with that organization. Their individual requirements are clear. ANd some, like the Coca Cola Scholarship, preclude anyone who is a member of the Coca Cola Family.
What exactly does “feeling Hispanic” mean? One of my german cousins who grew up in Spain, married a Spaniard from a wealthy aristocratic family. They all speak spanish at home. Is that “feeling hispanic”?