Belicia

Belicia was a junior when this study was being conducted. She was from central Florida. Belicia’s parents were immigrants from Mexico, but she was born and raised in the United States. She visited Mexico every few years with her parents. Belicia was raised in Spanish-speaking household, and she learned English mainly from school. She was the only one that had been placed in the ESOL program among the four participants. Belicia was fluent in both Spanish and English.

Belicia used the green dots to represent her Spanish language and Hispanic/Latino culture and blue lines to represent her English language and American identity. She chose green because she was thinking of the national flag of Mexico, where her parents were originally from. Likewise, she chose blue because she was thinking of the national flag of the United States, where she was born and grew up. She thought of red as well, but green and blue were the colors that only existed on one of the flags, respectively. Belicia explained that she used dots to create a more “coherent” object, and her Spanish language and Hispanic/Latino culture were “sporadic” in her. The lines outside the body formed a layer that made people only see the “surface and superficial” level of her as an American English speaker.