Alessandra's Anecdotes!

Pop culture has been a concept that has always had a fickle meaning. Many will argue that it is the technology that exists in an era that defines pop culture or maybe the media that is displayed at the time. "Historically, art and culture define pop culture" (Phil Miller [TEDx Talks], 2015). However, with the addition of modern technology , the dynamic between people and the media they consume has changed. Instead of having to wait for the mailman to deliver a message or travel days at a time to talk to someone, social media allows you to talk to one another instantaneously. On top of this, you can even attend an event virtually without having to waste money on the travel. The introduction of social media has provided ease of access of sorts into socialization. If one wanted to, they could easily stay isolated at home and still experience a social life. With social media now counting as a definition of pop culture, this type of unhealthy reliance on technology and social medi

       My earliest experiences of learning how to be literate always featured my grandfather, my biggest inspiration to become educated. Growing up, he never failed to amuse me with the stories of how he came to the United States and became the man he was now. He was an immigrant from 1960s Cuba where Fidel Castro just came into power. He didn’t want to be part of the political turmoil that was unraveling there, so he fled. When he arrived to the United States, he barely knew any english. However, after being embarrassed by his boss making fun of his lack of English skills, he bought himself an English to Spanish dictionary and learned English over night; that’s what he claims anyway. Still, that story inspired me as a child to further my education. Even with my frustration with my lisp, his encouragement helped me get through it.

  My biggest impact on my development would most definitely be my speech impediment. Ever since I was little, I have had a lisp. It gave me difficulty with my self confidence in reading since I was so sure I would mess up my words. If anyone had truly helped me with my self confidence, it would have been my father. He would help me sound out words whenever I had difficulty with them, so it gave me the courage I needed to speak freely.

    Education is something that is very highly valued in my family. On my father’s side of the family, the older generations grew up down in the south. With all of them being Black in the south and growing up in poverty, it presented them with many challenges. In order to help pay the bills, the children, when of age and able, were expected to start working, no matter the size of the job. As a result, school was something that was put on the back burner. When my father’s parents finally migrated to the north for better opportunities for themselves and their family, they enforced the concept of going to school towards my father so that he wouldn’t have to face the hardships that they did when they didn’t have the education they deserved. My father and his siblings got to attend college, something his parents didn’t get the chance to do. When it came to my mother’s side of the family, her parents immigrated from Cuba to give her and my aunt a better life and so that my grandparents could