THE BEGINNING OF CALIFORNIA CHICANA

Who Am I?

Hello! My name is Yanet, but if you’ve done any stalking around my website, you already know that! I’m a first generation Latina, college student pursuing a bachelor’s in Business and Environmental Studies. I’m the oldest of 3 siblings. I work 3 jobs and go to school full-time. I’m like every other college student on a budget. For a while, I was stressed and lost a lot of motivation (I was also not accepted into an internship program I really gave my all for.) I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do as a future career and was pressured to know. I mean there’s no one in my family who has a Bachelor’s degree. I’m changing the game. I hadn’t felt like I was doing anything to make a difference either. Recently, it all changed.

Why Did I Start A Blog?

I know I will be a stellar businesswoman, innovative activist, politician, mayor, journalist and/or educator. Weirdly enough, I know I want to be an authentic blogger. How did I get onto the blogger train? I attended an Emerging Leaders Institute event. One of the presenters, a UCSB professor, said you don’t need to know what you’re going to be in 10 years. Things change. He was first a cartoonist, then a sports host, and now an educator.

He said draw everything you want to accomplish in 5 years. I drew my passions of traveling the world, running for some type of office, graduating with a bachelor’s degree, making a blog and more. I want to look back on my travels and adventures. I want to give my voice and make the blogging community more diverse. I want to bring awareness on issues I’m passionate about. I recognize not everyone is interested in what I’m passionate about. But, I am.

What Does California Chicana Mean?

I consider myself Chicana. Some of you are like, “what the heck is a Chicana?” A Chicana has a political identity and a cultural identity. To me, it’s the bridge or hyphen between Mexican-American. Being both Mexican and American, I live in two different worlds. For a long time, I didn’t feel like I truly belong to any group. To some Mexicans or Latinx, I was too whitewashed. To some Americans, I wasn’t white. Being Chicana is reclaiming my self-identity and being proud of both worlds. However, my connection to my Mexican culture has also always lacked. I am pushing myself to reconnect and learn more.

Sadly, Chicanx only applies to Mexicans and does not apply to other Latinx. I am aware of the political climate, but I know I don’t know everything. However, I am asking more questions, researching, looking and making solutions, and more. Picking my domain name wasn’t a hesitation. I just knew.