“Nuestro camino es más largo” (Our Journey Is Much Longer): A Testimonio of Immigrant Life in the Central Valley and the Road towards the Professoriate

Abstract

Throughout my life I have come home to Modesto, California more times than my heart can remember; it is my heart that remembers and keeps my hometown ever present. Today, I am an Assistant Professor at the University of San Francisco. Yet, who I am today is profoundly intertwined with the little girl who grew up in the Central Valley as a daughter of working class Mexican immigrants. This is my testimonio—my truth-telling story—of how I learned from the sacrifices my parents made as Mexicano immigrants pursuing a dream of a better life for their children in Central Valley California, and it is the story of learning from my family’s knowledge, strengths, cultural resources, and Community Cultural Wealth.