Lua Flores ’29
Hometown
Katy, Texas
Academic Interest
Secondary Education & Biology
Growing up in two different, yet beloved cultures has impacted the way I see the world around me and the way I engage with my peers. My mother was born and raised in the United States, and my dad in Guatemala. I was born in Guatemala, but due to my parents’ separation, I moved back and forth between the two countries for most of my life. This meant that the only constant I had was my older sister, who sheltered me through it all.
Guatemala is called the land of eternal spring. Everywhere I turn, another bright flower or cool breeze is waiting for me. I am constantly surrounded by family. School was demanding and intense, but as soon as I got home, my friends were waiting for me to race up and down the unpaved roads in our neighborhood. When my sister and I come to the United States, we feel at home knowing our ideologies and beliefs are respected, appreciated, and protected.
Despite the deep sense of loss we experienced as we constantly left one side of our family for another, having to move a lot forced me to become versatile. I was enrolled in a private school in a third-world country and a public one in the United States. I saw the difference in healthcare systems as I was treated for asthma throughout my childhood. One system offered a run-down, but welcoming, hospital with little to no resources. The other one offered a state-of-the-art and sanitized clinic with everything down to monkey stickers on a nebulizer, yet it felt impersonal. I’ve indulged in the joy of playing outside, getting dirty, being barefoot, and bathing in the rain while also enjoying the opportunity of rock climbing, gymnastics classes, and touching real dinosaur bones.
Unfortunately, I also experienced discrimination in both countries. I’ve been excluded and made to feel like I’ll never fully be a part of my family and friends in Guatemala for having “fair skin.” At the same time, I’ve also been told to “speak English because we are in America.” I will always be recognized as American in Guatemala and Hispanic in the United States, when all I want is to be recognized as what I am: Guatemalan American.
I’ve been blessed to have experienced two such different countries. Living through these moments has taught me how to balance both cultures and make a place for myself wherever I go, even if there isn’t a pre-existing one. Through this, I’ve prioritized making a place for others as well. My passion is to bring unity and all-inclusiveness to classrooms and upcoming generations in hopes of it becoming a foundation for kids to grow on, the same way it was for me.