Navigating Identity at Bradley University: A Latina’s Story of Assimilation and Belonging

Attending Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, as one of the few Latinas on campus was a surreal experience. Coming from Chicago—a city bursting with diverse communities—it was a shock to find myself in a place with so little racial diversity. I quickly became known as “the loud Latina from Chicago,” a nickname that at once felt true to my roots yet highlighted how different I was from everyone around me.

Bradley University, and Peoria in general, offered a culture unlike anything I’d known. The few Latinos on campus became a tight-knit group, bonding over shared experiences that others couldn’t fully understand. We all understood the struggle of feeling like we didn’t quite belong. As close as we were, we each navigated this environment differently, and for me, the process of fitting in had a surprising consequence: I found myself slowly stripping away parts of my Latinidad.

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The Subtle Process of Assimilation

I didn’t realize at first that I was culturally assimilating. I just wanted to feel comfortable in an environment where, more often than not, I felt like an outsider. Slowly, without noticing, I was adopting a “valley girl” tone. It wasn’t until I’d return home to visit my family that I saw the difference. My mom was quick to point it out: “Why do you sound like that?” she’d ask, half-joking but also a little concerned.

It hit me then how much I was unconsciously changing to fit in. My mannerisms, my speech, even the way I presented myself were shifting. I wanted to blend in, to avoid feeling constantly like “the other” in classrooms, on campus, and in social settings. But blending in came at a cost.

Losing (and Finding) My Latinidad

As I adapted to the culture at Bradley, I began to feel distanced from the identity that had once been so strong in me. I remember thinking, Am I losing a part of who I am? The more I tried to fit in, the more I felt like I was leaving pieces of my heritage and my voice behind.

Yet, in that process, I also found strength in the connections I built with other Latino students. We shared similar experiences of feeling disconnected from our backgrounds and navigating life in a predominantly white space. Those friendships grounded me and reminded me of who I was, even when I felt like I was slipping away from my own roots.

Embracing My Unique Identity

Attending a primarily white school was challenging, but it taught me invaluable lessons about identity and resilience. I may have felt like an outsider, but I also learned that I didn’t have to mold myself to fit anyone’s expectations. My Latinidad may have taken a backseat at times, but ultimately, it’s something that lives within me—it’s something that no environment, however foreign, can strip away completely.

Looking back, I’m grateful for the experiences and for the challenges that helped me embrace who I am in any setting. Even as the “loud Latina from Chicago,” I learned that I can be myself fully and unapologetically, wherever life takes me.

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ALEJANDRA