Delacruz !

Maria Delacruz
Professor Doutherd
English 5M
29, October 2017
Growth Through Wisdom
Advancing to the next level as a writer has been a long and strenuous journey. Professor
Deborah Brandt describes sponsors as powerful figures who bankroll events or smooth the way
for initiates;(Brandt, 47) similarly, as my sponsors did and continue to do for me. Throughout
my academic life, I have had many sponsors that have served to influence my reading and
writing skills. My skills have had to continuously evolve according to the new American writing
system in which I am placed. I have faced many challenges as a multilingual student, but every
challenge has helped me to better myself as a reader, writer, and thinker.
During my early years many changes that influenced my reading and writing skills. I
started my education at a school where the population was mainly multilingual and the students
came from similar backgrounds (Mexican culture). Even though most of us had similar
backgrounds, I was still picked on and bullied by some of the kids in my class. I was bullied not
only for the way I looked, but also for the way that I spoke. Spanish was my first language, so
growing up I spoke with a bit of an accent. I went from being an extrovert to an introvert which
led me to read more but I started to write in a more reserved manner. Meaning, I would
constantly doubt my writing skills and was scared to take risks. I would only write in a way in
which I thought was similar to the way others were writing. I prevented myself from writing in
my own personal style because I was scared to stand out and be different. I preferred to constrict
my ideas than dare to stand out. When I moved from a dominantly Spanish speaking city to a
mostly English speaking environment it left me feeling that my skills may be inadequate.
When I was moved to the new school they automatically placed me in the ELD program
as soon as they saw that I was bilingual. Deborah Brandt states in her article that the racial group
to which you belong not only affects the types of sponsors that you have, but your testing scores
as well.(Brandt, 49) I feel that because the school I was attending saw that I was bilingual they
automatically assumed that I would need extra help to do well in the new school. The testing that
they had me do while I was in the ELD program only made me feel dumb because I felt I did not
need the testing as I was performing well in school. I was the only one that was taken out of my
class to take this test. My second grade teacher was the one that fought to have my taken out of
that program because she saw my potential and believed that I was too smart. She helped raise
my confidence as a student and that showed through the scores that I was receiving in the years
that followed. She showed me that there was nothing wrong with being a little different and
helped me to embrace everything that made me who I was.
Once again the start of junior high brought the need to adjust to a new environment that
left me insecure once more. I was fortunate that I had the 6th grade language arts teacher that I
did. I believe that if I had not had her my writing abilities would not be where they are today. She
always pushed me harder to do She not only helped me raise my grades, but my self esteem as
well. She often used constructive criticism, but she never did it in a way in which she left me
feeling dumb or as if my work was not good enough.
 Delacruz !2

My sophomore year in high school was the year where my writing skills really peaked
and improved the most with the help of my history teacher. Not only did she help my writing, she
also helped to build my self esteem which was showcased throughout my writing as I became
less reserved and took bigger chances throughout my assignments. I began to care less if I was
different than others and let my ideas flow freely, not matter how different they were. I wrote in
the way that I wanted to write and showed more of who I was.
Now as a college student, I find myself once again trying to adapt to the new demands
that come with writing at a college level. As stated in Multilingual Students and College
Writing: What is a multilingual Writer?, the language [youre] familiar with has ways of
organizing and presenting information in writing that are different from typical American
college-level writing. (Ferris, 23) I feel as though this relates to the trouble that I have while I
write because when I am trying to explain something, I want to use my Spanish slang. This has
always been an issue that I have had but, entering college it has been making me more anxious as
I feel I have to prove my skills are good enough.
I am definitely trying my best to adjust to the more formal and professional way of
writing, but I still feel as if the skills I have now are not good enough. Dana Ferris assures
multilingual writers in her article that although multilingual students have hardships writing, they
also posses any strengths that can help them academically. (Ferris, 23) Although I do feel as if
the new environment is challenging and more demanding than what I am used to, I come back to
my roots in not feeling the burdensome stereotype that prevented me from putting my own touch
into my writing because I am no longer one of the only bilingual students in the class.
Although my academic journey has been a rollercoaster, I have had many challenges that
have encouraged me to not only grow as a reader and a writer but as a person as well. Without
these challenges I highly doubt I would have progressed to be the writer I am today. They have
really taken the time to help me learn and become more confident in my abilities. Although I
have not always been proud to be a multilingual student I now realize that being bilingual will
not only be helpful for me professionally, but I can use the skills I have acquired to become a
better student as well.