Journal Article — The Tension of Opposites: Exploring Issues of Ethnicity, Class, and Gender in My Identity Formation — by Claudia Contreras

Being a Salvadorian-American woman living in the United States, it was often difficult to preserve my own values and beliefs in a country where power and money seem to matter the most. Having grown up low- income household with immigrant parents, I was once determined to isolate myself from the “primitive” collective conscience of my family and achieve an identity that would make me a true “American” in a modern society. Along my journey, I discovered a “reality” that was full of biases against women, and minorities, along with an empty feeling of who I was. It was a challenge to break the norms of my patriarchal family and society and come to consider myself an independent woman. Now, as I embark on another journey, all these issues that seem so divided, play a great role as I pursue a career that will truly make me happy.