I am Dana

My name is Dana Guzman. I was born and raised in northern, Indiana. My father is from Mexico and my mother is a White American. I consider myself to be Mexican-White or a White Latina. My parents taught my siblings and me to be proud of both of our cultures. It was always nice to be exposed to different types of food, music, and traditions. I have had a lot of great experiences in life but I have also felt shame. One past trigger for shame in my life was my ability (or lack of) to speak Spanish. Spanish is my second language and I did not speak it very much as a child. I remember feeling ashamed in several instances because I did not speak “good Spanish”. I would then avoid situations where I knew that I had to speak Spanish with people who spoke it well. I eventually learned to speak Spanish fairly well as a teenager from my stepmother and cousins. Now as an adult, I realize that knowing another language is a gift. I need to be proud of what I can do and not focus so much on what I cannot do. Most people will face some type of shame in their life. I now understand that shame resiliency can happen in my life when I become aware of the triggers and situations that cause shame in my life.