Personal Essay

By Kelly Lopez

Kelly Lopez of Riverhead High School.

Growing up as a first generation daughter of immigrants, I had very little knowledge on how clubs in high school worked or how to apply for college because for my parents that wasn’t something they needed to learn. Their goal was to work and provide for their family in order to give my siblings and I a better future. A future that we could be proud of and in turn make our parents proud of for their sacrifices and struggles. So for me, going into high school all I really focused on were my classes. I thought that if I worked hard in my classes I could end up going to my dream college and continue on with my goals. I did not realize then how complex the college admission process was. I had no clue what class ranks were, the importance of clubs and sports, or how much effort was really needed to thrive in the competitive pools of applicants. No one gave my family and I a crash course of high school and how to succeed. It wasn’t until sophomore year when I started to get into clubs, thanks to my friends mentioning it in class, that I learned how important it was to dedicate my time to not only my interests but also to helping my community. Being able to participate actively in fundraisers and events as well as beach and town cleanups allowed me to understand why volunteering is so valuable. Through my school’s soccer team, I was able to also build friendships and learn what it means to be a leader through teamwork and sportsmanship.

It was because of these amazing memories and lessons that I experienced that made me realize the importance of representation and diversity and how much inclusivity was needed in order to reach a wider audience. I recognized how many students might have missed out of these opportunities to find new hobbies or dedicate their time to something they may not have thought they’d enjoy simply because they did not know it was available to them. Especially with first generation families, understanding how high school functions can be confusing in itself, and it can cause options such as clubs and sports to feel like a hassle when in reality it’s simple. This was a big reason why I ran for student representative for my school’s Key Club. Key Club is my school’s biggest community service oriented club and aims to provide students with the chance to give back to their community, no matter how big or small the contribution is. For me, being chosen as student representative, I wanted to attract my hispanic community to give the club a chance and show them how doing a club on top of school is not only beneficial for them but also exciting. During my school’s freshman orientation, I made sure to approach families who spoke Spanish and introduce them to the club, such as our fundraisers and events we host and why it is important. I wanted them to feel comfortable and recognize that these things can be for people like us too. I figured that maybe before, they would pass by the clubs presenting themselves because they did not understand or thought it did not matter. As student representative, I felt it was my job to reach that wider audience and make that connection between families and the school to ultimately benefit their children.

By our first meeting, I could see the impact that reaching out can have on others. Instead of only a few students who were hispanic being in the club, there was triple the amount that were eager to see what the club had in store for them. I was excited to see growing representation in my community and after each event I made sure to talk to them personally and ask about their thoughts and whether they found it rewarding. I was grateful to hear about how their parents had encouraged them to join after their conversations with me because it made me see how just having that one person reach out can make a pathway for more to follow. Even now, every club I join or every recognition I receive, I make sure to think about how I can include more people who may feel inferior to these things because of their differences. Recently, I was named in the top 20 of my graduating class alongside my sister and when I looked at our photo in our local news I recognized that we were the only hispanics there. But that was thrilling, because I know that someone is going to look at the photo and think that if someone like them can do it, so can they. I hope to continue to be the best role model I can be and hope to continue with my goals of inclusivity and representation into this new chapter of my life, while staying true to myself and my identity as a first generation hispanic.