As a proud Hispanic-Serving Institution, and in honor of Latinx Heritage Month, John Jay College is recognizing the vital contributions Latinx people have made to our country and our society through a series of events, web articles, and special features on our YouTube page. In our “Latinx Celebration” article series, we’re connecting with our Latinx students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and learning more about their experiences, identities, traditions, and hopes for the future.
First-year student George Aponte ’25, a Computer Science and Information Security major from Queens, New York, has always been proud of his Mexican identity, yet he saw his love, appreciation, and pride for the Latinx community as a whole, deepen during the pandemic. “Latinx people have long been the backbone of our communities, and we saw that on a whole new level during the pandemic. If you look at who the essential workers were, it was Latinx people,” says Aponte, an ¡Adelante! student. “They were the ones that had to go out into the world and work while others were safe at home. They were cooking in the restaurants, making the food deliveries, stocking the grocery shelves, and taking care of children. Latinx people kept our country going amid a global pandemic, and they sacrificed so much. We should do everything we can to support and uplift our Latinx community whenever possible. I couldn’t be prouder to be Latinx.” We chatted with Aponte to learn more about his Latinx pride and his hopes for the community’s future.
“If you look at who the essential workers were, it was Latinx people. They were the ones that had to go out into the world and work while others were safe at home.” —George Aponte
Where did you grow up and what are some of your memories growing up there?
I grew up in Elmhurst, Queens, New York, which was mostly a Latinx and Asian community. What’s funny is that I remember my parents getting calls from my elementary school teachers saying they couldn’t understand me because I was only speaking Spanish. Even though I was born in the U.S., my first language was Spanish, so speaking English early in elementary school was a challenge. I joined the ESL [English as a Second Language] program for two years and it was there where I began to understand and speak English clearly. Language loss is one of the first things that happen when people assimilate. Learning English as my primary language in school, I began to see it had a sort of impact on my speaking Spanish. Thankfully my parents ensured that we only spoke Spanish at home, so I’ve been able to hold on to our language.
What impact does John Jay being a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) have on your John Jay journey?
Knowing John Jay is an HSI made my coming to the College more of a comfortable experience. During the college search process, I noticed that a lot of the institutions I was reading up on were really lacking in diversity. When I looked into John Jay, it’s diversity really stood out to me. I see diversity as an asset, it is a beautiful thing. Learning with people from different backgrounds and cultures makes for a more enriching, interesting, and exciting learning experience.
“Knowing John Jay is an HSI made my coming to the College more of a comfortable experience.” —George Aponte
How do you embrace your Latinx heritage during Latinx Heritage Month and throughout the year?
I try to embrace and celebrate my Latinx heritage every day. I’m proud to be Latino and I’m especially proud to be Mexican. One of my favorite things to do is watch soccer games with my parents. There’s something special about hearing your national anthem played before a soccer match. Whenever I hear the Mexican national anthem playing, it gives me goosebumps and I’m filled with so much love and pride for Mexico. When I see my parents singing the anthem, and they’re so happy, it inspires me to really feel honored by my roots and where I come from. I may have been born in the U.S., but I’m 100 percent Mexican and so proud of that fact.
In your John Jay courses, what have you learned about Latinx culture or history that impressed you, surprised you, or made you think deeper?
As a first-year student, I’ve only been here a few weeks, but I already feel like I’ve learned so much. I’m taking a really informative freshman-seminar course that explores justice and its impact on the Latinx community. If you look at how the Latinx community, particularly Mexicans, are vilified by elected officials and in the media, it’s disheartening, and those stereotypes stick to everything we do.
What I’ve learned in this class is that this isn’t new. When you look at the history of Latinx people in America, these stereotypes and generalizations have been made over and over. But, the difference is we now have the power to challenge those lies, change the narrative, and reveal the truth. Mexican and Latinx people are good people. We’re not dangerous, we’re not all criminals, gang members, or drug traffickers. For the most part, we are really hard-working people who just want to do right by our families, improve our situations, and do well in life. So, the more I learn about the history, the disparities, and the inequities in our systems, the more empowered I feel because it makes me want to prove the stereotypes wrong.
“Many Latinx people who come to this country believe in the American dream, and unfortunately, when they come here, they don’t see that dream come true.” —George Aponte
What are your hopes, aspirations, and dreams for the Latinx community?
I definitely want to see more Latinx representation in all spaces—education, technology, science, law, and politics. Many Latinx people who come to this country believe in the American dream, and unfortunately, when they come here, they don’t see that dream come true. I hope that we can begin to see support for Latinx people in our systems, especially education. I’d love to see the Latinx community succeeding, really representing and showing society not only the power of our community, but all of the greatness that we are capable of achieving.
Finish this sentence: I’m proud to be Latinx because…
I’m proud to be Latinx because we’re hard workers. Whenever something goes wrong, Latinos are the first to show up and help fix the problem. We’re the first ones to risk it all, because we want to see improvement not just for us but also for the entire community’s betterment.
