Hello, my name is María de Jesús Madrigal. I’m one of the recipients of the scholarship for the trip to México this past January. I would like to thank you for making this trip possible for me, for if it were not for you, I would have been unable to attend. Even though I’m a first generation Mexican-American and had been to México many times with my family, this trip to México was a great experience. The reason not being because of learning about business, for I’m a Spanish and Life Sciences mayor, but because the fact that I was reminded of how much culture and tradition México has. How much beauty México has to offer, not only the places but also its people. By going on the trip I learned about the great history of México, about the battles, and the courageous leaders such as Father Hidalgo, Francisco Villa, Benito Juarez, and many more. I learned many things, which were unknown to me. The trip also made me realize that México is a very friendly country. The people are very friendly; for example, when they greet you they shake your hand or other kiss your cheek. I remember that when I was younger I would greet people this way and now that I am older I hardly do it anymore. By being in México for ten days in different states and meeting so many people, I realized how much I had assimilated into the American way. I concluded then, that I was slowly losing part of my heritage, losing part of me. If this were to continue, if I became more assimilated everything that I once had would be gone. All the culture, the traditions, the ways of life, everything that my parents taught me and have passed down to me throughout the years will eventually disappear. This is something I would not like to occur, if it did occur I would not be able to identify with my own people, I would lose my own identity. I would not have anything to pass down to my children; they would be left with a great emptiness of not knowing the culture of their own people.

            Thanks to the trip to México, I realized how important it is to conserve one’s identity. There is nothing more important than knowing who you are and were you came from. You should be proud of what you are and should never forget traditions that your ancestors have passed down to you. By attending the trip, I realized that I have to make sure that I do not lose any of the traditions that I have been passed down to me. If it had not been for the Mitsui Foundation, I would of never realized this and would eventually lose all the traditions and ways of life of my ancestors. For me this was the best and most important learning experience I have ever had. So once again I would like to thank you very much for making it possible for me to attend the México trip.

Gracias,

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