Kady Pedroza

My name is Kady Pedroza. I am a female Mexican-American. I am both Hispanic and Latina.

I call Fairmont, Minnesota home. Home, to me, is where family is, most fam in Fairmont. I was born and raised in Fairmont, so I lived there for 18 years. My childhood was pretty busy. I spent a lot of time with my family, and I got to do lots of things with my cousins. I played soccer as a little girl. My family kept busy with church-related things. It was always family. My values are respect, loyalty, and compassion. 

Now, I am working up in Duluth. I work as a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and TMA (Trained Medication Aide)  in Benedictine House Center, a nursing home. 

Education

I went to elementary and high school at Fairmont. I thank my friends in high school a lot. We had a competitive yet encouraging circle with the people in my friend group. They pushed me to be the best student and athlete I could be - the community and friends I chose to surround myself with. I enjoyed the people and families that I met in Fairmont. There were many caring and encouraging friends and their parents. 

Now, I moved up to Duluth at Lake Superior College. I leaned towards nursing my freshman year up until now. I actually decided to change my major. I will be switching to mathematics education and transferring this fall to a new school around here. Recently, I’ve been playing soccer. I was deciding if I wanted to play competitively this fall. I will be playing in a recreational league. I started coaching up here in Duluth. It’s been incredible! I’m excited to be a part of it! I was almost done with nursing, and I was content. I was striving to find something I was passionate about doing. I will be getting paid to do something that I enjoy doing.

Growing up Mexican-American in Fairmont, MN

Being Mexican-American I had a hard time showing more cultural things to some of my friends, depending on who they were. I kept almost a separation sometimes. I didn’t want to blend it. I was nervous and wondering what everyone was thinking.

I did enjoy having my entire mom’s family being in the area. It helped me celebrate that part of me, parts of me that I didn’t always show. That would definitely be in religious aspects and also life at home like the food we ate, our language. I still, to this day, only speak Spanish to my family. 

Similarities/Differences between Mexican culture and Fairmont

I was born and raised in Fairmont, but I went to Mexico last summer with my grandparents.

A similarity between Mexican culture and growing up here would be the prevalence of social media in both cultures. I would also say whatever is popular at the time like TV shows and what’s being advertised. It was different after visiting Mexico and seeing how different it truly can be. We weren’t even that far into Mexico. I remember more differences. I would say that the day-to-day life is very different. One of the water reserves that they had there, we would go days with the water off then three days without the water. On the fourth day, we would try to collect as much water as we could. I’m glad I went through. 

It’s also very uncommon to have AC in Mexico. If you do, it’s only going to be in one room. It was incredibly hot when we were in Mexico. It’s crazy to see what people wear. It’s so hot, and people are comfortable wearing jeans. The things people do for a living and the conditions that they are used to working in. There was a man across the street cooking chicken and steak on the grill. There were fumes of smoke coming up and he’s drenched. He’s wearing jeans and a shirt. 

I would say in Mexico, it was more uncommon to see a church with a denomination different than Catholic. There is a rise of different denominations now.

There’s a currency difference of course. Even grocery shopping and what the stores look like, it’s so different in Mexico. It was an incredible experience to put visuals to what I had been hearing from parents/gpas., etc.

Faith

I am a Roman Catholic. I practice Catholicism at St. John Vianney in Fairmont and up here in Duluth, I go to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary. My faith, to me, is my guide and my way of life. I have been a ‘cradle Catholic’ or Catholic since I was born. It’s definitely something that I see as a privilege. It has made me a more understanding and compassionate person.

About a year ago, I had this eye-opening religious experience. I found faith for myself instead of just being raised in. There is definitely more of a personal story with it now, becoming a college student and moving away from home. It can be difficult because there are temptations. You are taking control of your faith for the first time. 

I traveled to Honduras on a missionary trip. I have to thank a lot of people from Fairmont who gave me donations which made it possible for me to go. It was more of a poor community compared to where I have been privileged to grow up - but not in faith. It was incredibly rich in faith. Yes, we were there as a missionary, but the way people worship and believe. They didn’t have structured churches or places to worship the Lord. You could feel the intensity of how they worshiped. Even people who were finding the faith for the first time, you could just see this joy –pure joy. When we talked about growing up as Christian athletes (some of the athletes are recruited to play D1 for the University of Nebraska), they were filled with joy for the Lord. I would do it all over again.

Discrimination

For me, I would say I have experienced microaggressions. I haven’t experienced blatant racism –  no, not for me. I had the privilege of growing up here, so I speak the language fluently without an accent. I did common activities that other American children did. I had the privilege to be able to assimilate. I have seen other people with an accent or broken English discriminated against. They have had completely different experiences.

I had the privilege of having a big family. People knew of me before they knew me because they knew my family.

There were a few times I would get a little heated or felt angry for what had happened. I would almost feel guilty for the privilege that I had. I didn’t choose to be born and raised in the United States. That was a choice made for me, and I had that privilege. Not everyone has that privilege. It was hard for me to see people that I found to be similar to me being mistreated. It was a position that I easily could’ve been in. That was hard for me to see.

I would definitely say if people started to walk into a conversation with an open mind and the idea that they are going to be listening as well as talking and listening to their opinions. Asking people and other people of color about their experiences. It’s important to see how their lives were growing up,  making an effort to learn about other cultures, and not being ignorant. Informative things are definitely a step in the right direction.

Role of men/women in Mexican culture

Mexico is definitely more patriarchal. It’s of course changing as time goes on. Especially with my parents and grandparents being older, it’s instilled in them that the man is the worker/money bearer. They bring the money home and provide financially. For example, my grandpa would travel for work. My grandma would stay at home and care for all 11 kids. He would be away working. 

My dad always had a steady job throughout the year. My mom would have seasonal jobs like in the summer. When I was younger, she didn’t work as much as my dad did. Now, she kept a steady job. That’s different here than back in Mexico.  It’s more focused for the man to be the provider and the female to be the caregiver, but that is definitely changing with time.

Distinct Holidays

Distinct holidays that not everyone celebrates are the Feast day for Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. Our family does the rosary on December 12, around Christmas. In January, my family continues to pray. It’s not really a holiday…it celebrates a significant time in the church, so it is a meaningful time to our family.

Cinco de mayo is not Mexico’s independence day. Surprisingly, my family doesn’t really do anything for Mexico's Independence Day, which is on September 16. That is probably because we are here in the United States and immersed in American culture. 

The Fond-du-Lac Reservation is up here near Duluth. A lot of people would assume I am Native before they ask. I would just laugh and tell them that I am actually Mexican. 

Language

I am fluent in English and Spanish. I tried testing out, but I couldn’t. Spanish is the only language offered at our high school. I wanted to take a language class, so I said, “Well here we go Spanish 1!” Mrs. Stewart found ways to help me benefit from the curriculum for the course. I thank her for that. My written Spanish definitely improved from taking her class. It was also interesting to see different dialects from countries and their culture. 

Passing Culture on to the Next Generation

I want to pass language on to my child. Raising a bilingual child. With me, my parents and grandparents were always speaking Spanish to me.  I think about how interesting it’s going to be to find that for my children. 

I also definitely want to pass on religion to my children. I want to pass cultural festivities and religious festivities on to my children. Things that were important to my family, I want to make important for my children. 

I definitely want to pass on cooking. That is something I’m still learning. I still call my mom when I want to make food from our culture.

Challenges

Honestly, I would say one of the challenges I’m going through is right now. I am transferring schools and changing my major. I am going from playing competitive soccer–something I have done my entire life– to playing recreationally. I will also have to change jobs soon. I would also say, recently, I haven’t been holding myself accountable to my faith as I should be. I haven’t been as present at religious activities as I could’ve been. It’s an experience choosing for yourself and growing. I am fortunate to have people who push me to be better and continue to strive for myself and for my faith. I also have some health related things going on with my family, which has been eye-opening. Eye-opening about being miles away from family and feeling helpless in times like these. I’ve been leaning towards my family, friends, and faith. That is what Fairmont has taught me.

Inspiration

My sister, Karla, inspires me. She is stepping into a new role of motherhood. She is a wife, a mother. She is still a sister and a daughter. She’s not only a caregiver at home but she’s also a nurse. Seeing her step into who she is and who she is becoming has been inspiring to watch.  She encourages me to want to do better. We definitely have a stronger relationship now.

My cousin, Karen, has always been passionate about what she does. She has a lot of talents. She is very creative. Seeing her step into the new step in her career. She is somebody I look up to.

My cousin, Leslie, is also a nurse. She has a lot of roles in her life. Mother. Wife. Nurse. Photographer. She has picked up a lot of things. She’s very talented and has many aspects - a very intricate person. A lot of talent and creativity. 

My friend Halle from high school. She has definitely been one of the most selfless and strongest people in my life. She has helped me grow into a more emotionally-aware human being. She has helped me become a better person.

What are some things you are passionate about?

I am passionate about soccer, my faith, my family, my friends and teaching/coaching. Mrs. Ostlie told me – when I was senior, right before we left for COVID– that I should really consider pursuing a career in education. I couldn’t see myself returning to a school as faculty. I never thought that was for me. Not that I didn’t like it, I just didn’t think my personality would fit as a teacher. I would say I can still be a kid and be young. I never saw myself as a teacher. I realized that teaching and coaching do have a lot in common. I always had this drive for math and science. When I thought of science, I always leaned medical for some reason. It was what I used to and what I heard. It turned out not to be for me. My favorite classes in high school were physics and chem with Mrs. Ostlie. And math. Math was one of my favorite subjects because I was always pushing myself to be better at math, understand more, be quicker -  whatever. I never made that connection in my head. I should’ve listened to Mrs. Ostlie my senior year!!

Accomplishments

My proudest accomplishment is anything regarding sports. Soccer. Well of course soccer has been big for me. I have gotten a lot of achievements as a player and now a coach. The camaraderie that comes with sports is something I will always enjoy and why I have always played. It’s nice to see that now as a coach on the other side. I would say that being a captain in soccer led me to coaching now. I have met a few coaches up here in Duluth that have changed my perspective and helped me grow. 

Looking Ahead

Success, to me, is seeing myself as a teacher and a coach. I want to excel in coaching. I want to pursue excellence. I want to be the best coach that I can be, no matter what team I end up coaching. I want to know more and do more. I want to improve my ways of coaching by seeing the effects

It was never enough math for me in nursing. Basic math in pharmacology had me LIVING. I would see myself as a math teacher, soccer coach, a wife–I hope to have kids one day, and raise a God-fearing family. I hope to grow and develop 

Hopes for the Community

I hope for there to be more unity in the Martin County community. I know it’s not uncommon for towns to have different areas. Not everyone intermingles or is connected. You can definitely see a blunt difference in Fairmont sometimes. There is such a distinct line between people in Fairmont. I wish people had the energy to want to know more about their neighbor- regardless of who they are and to see a community that promotes excellence. I wish people cared about people more and who they are, who they live next and not just their circle. Fairmont can be very cliquey, for a lack of better words. It’s definitely been a work-in-progress. There have been community efforts to enjoy people’s differences. If you don’t understand, be respectful.