Hi, my name is Lilia and I thank you for the opportunity to share how my educational leadership has evolved.
My journey begins with my parents and they first met in the state of Jalisco in Mexico
Jalisco is known for both its mariachi and tequila. El Mariachi was inspired by the Spanish orchestra and
the tequila by el mezcal
a Nahuatl word which means oven-baked agave
My inspiration starts in Tlaquepaque, where my parents lived, a neighboring city of Guadalajara
Both my parents came from families that were artisans and my mother's family farmed their own land
Which has been in our family for six generations.
Being an artist develops the skills of paying attention to detail,
developing patience and persistence, and learning from your mistakes until the art becomes a science.
This collage is a four generation of mujeres in my family. I am the twelve-year-old kid at the bottom left corner
My mother's brother, Manuel Velazquez was the artist
My mother has fond memories of her childhood
She remembers sitting around the patio removing kernals from the corncob, while her grandmother told stories to keep the children engaged and entertained
In our home,
stories were followed by "dichos"
Dichos are saying that expres traditions, beliefs, thoughts. They are words of wisdom.
An example of a dicho is
Though, there are many interpretations of this dicho,
it loosly translates to
From words to action, there is a long road to travel
My parents worked hard on their long journey
Though they live down the street from each other,
they had very different lives. In my dad's family the women were the artisan and the men worked outside of the home and
eventually outside of the country
My great-grandfather and grandfather both signed up for the Bracero Program
as laborers in the United States
Recruiters for the Bracero Program had many offices in el centero
Around 1950, my dad was about 14 or 15 years old and signed up.
He started in Arizona laying down railroad tracks and then migrated to Texas and California
following the seasonal work
He shared stories with me about how he felt discrimination
and for this reason, he believed that my great-grandfather stopped going. However,
My grandfather's continued to work the citrus season until he retired
While I was researching for this project, I was surprised to find an old ID that belonged to my mother's father
I did not know that he was also a bracero
My father's father Pablo Ruvalcaba made a career out of the seasonal agricultural work and my father did the same
My father found a permanent place to work in Turlock, California
where I was born
He became a lead farmer and was provided with a beautiful home and my mom was happy and the family grew
This dicho is similar to birds of a feather flock together
My parents missed Tlaquepaque and a new home was built with people that shared the same language, culture and beliefs
My godparents known as "padrinos" became "compadres" to my parents
Compadre translates to like parents to my children. This expression expresses trust,
unity and the building a community and extended family
After years of agricultural work, my father hurt his back and became unemployed
we moved to Tlaquepaque for a while and then back to California in East LA and
eventually, we moved into the projects of Oxnard. We didn't know we were poor
Life was good. We were happy. My grandfather continued to work in the lemon orchards of Santa Paula, Camarillo and Somis
Elementary school was generally a good experience, but I do have a few unpleasant memories
I flunked kindergarten because "Eye no hablo Ingles." I was told not to speak that language here.
I was also taught that Mexico sold half of its territory for very very cheap, almost giving it away
However at home we were taught that school was a place of respect and that teachers were Maestros
When I started junior high school, my father went back to school and earned his GED and learned a trade
He's the first in my family to get a high school diploma
While I was in high school,
I attended Upward Bound, a program that targets and supports students potential to go to university after high school
But high school was a discouraging challenge for me. I spoke Spanish, English and Spanglish
I lived on the east side of the railroad tracks and I had to learn how to walk and talk in my
neighborhood, in my church, in my home, at school and
after school programs and sports
After school, I was distracting the big full-time the job on a military base. I got married and had my first son.
I went to beauty school thinking it would be an easier and a softer way
But as my father would say if you don't accept the challenge then you have lost
So when my son was 3 years old, I accepted the challenge of returning to my local community college and then transferred to UCSB
I majored in math and I took every single Chicano Studies class that my schedule would allow.
I learned about the history of Mexico, the contribution of Mexicans to United States, Chicano literature, and Chicano art.
I also learned what it means to be a Chicana and a mujer, this was exciting for me
It was not what I had learned in elementary school
As my parents had done before, I started to give back to my family and my community
It started with my sister, and then my brother, and a few cousins, I encouraged them all to return to college
My commitment to creating access to education began to blossom
if I can do it then you can to
Si Se Puede!
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, is another dicho at home.
This means I have to pass it forward, acknowledge and validate the experiences of the students
I served and share my challenges as well as my successes
Dichos are still part of my life, and they have evolved, and I make up some my own along the way
for example
Leadership means taking responsiblity for what matters to you.
If you get close to a good tree then you will have a good shade, it goes back to the community building
It goes to good people and then they will also influence the way you think
So I surround myself with other educators who can acknowledge what they bring to the table. The good and the bad, and
Look for opportunities to create access for students, so that education
becomes an opportunity for them to succeed in life. To reference the Dolores Delgado Bernal's
five defining elements of
Critical Race Theory and Latina Latino Critial Race Theory,
a community of people who think alike can
understand how to improve the educational experience of students of color,
can emphasize the strength and knowledge that students of color bring to the learning environment
We can rethink traditional ideology and what is defined is defined as knowledge
leadership is making change
working with others
for those we care about
like my three sons
Thank you for your time.
For more infomation >> Irada | Jeet Gill | New Hindi Song 2018 | Official Studio Video - Duration: 3:02. 
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