The Unseen Strength of Trailblazing First-Generation Latina Moms

Nancy reflects on how being a first-generation Latina mom has affected her motherhood and how she’s hoping to share her daughters’ lives.

Being a first-generation Latina is a journey filled with empowerment and moments of isolation. It’s a unique experience that many of us share but often navigate alone. For those of us who have been the first in our families to achieve milestones like attending and graduating from college, succeeding in careers that our parents never envisioned, and making bold life choices, it can feel like our biggest wins are sometimes lost in translation.

A Challenging Family History

I am the first in my family to attend and graduate from college, a path that was both challenging and rewarding. I ventured into the nonprofit world, earning scholarships and awards, and building a career that made a difference in the lives of others. Yet, despite these achievements, I often felt disconnected from my family. My parents didn’t fully understand what it meant to work in a field beyond traditional professions like being a doctor or a lawyer. To them, the idea of paying to attend school when you could be earning a paycheck seemed foreign and unnecessary.

I yearned for my family to grasp the depth of my accomplishments. Their muted reactions felt like a void where celebration should be. It took me entering motherhood to learn a profound truth: their inability to fully comprehend wasn’t a lack of pride but rather a testament to how far I’ve ventured from their known path to new waters. It was a revelation that, even at 40, I would never get the validation I fought so hard for, and surprisingly, it was liberating.

A Mother’s Realization

As a mother of six, I now look back on the start of my mothering journey and reflect on how far I still have to go. I am proud that I have celebrated every small win and milestone my children have had. I’ve come to understand the importance of honoring all the victories, big or small, not just for our kids but for ourselves as well. We all deserve it.

As a mother, I continue to learn throughout the years and with each of my children. I strive to do better, to be more understanding, while also accepting my faults and apologizing—something I never once heard as a child. I embrace my love language without fear, constantly showing affection to ensure my children know they are loved beyond words.

Having five daughters, I hope they will each set their own paths, lighting the world ablaze with their passions, whatever they may be. They are not constantly told to be a doctor or a lawyer but rather to follow their hearts. Wherever their journeys lead, they know I will be behind them, holding them up in the face of all adversity or challenges they may face. My wish is for their passions to bring them endless success, and I remind them that success does not always mean financial wealth. Instead, may they find happiness in their chosen careers so that they do not feel, as many of us do, that they are living solely to work. Rather, may they see work as just another road of the many they will take in this life.

May all five of my daughters be different but united, knowing that their success is mine because they are and always will be my heart outside my body in this world. May they feel my love wherever they end up, even if distance separates us. May they hear my voice from afar in moments when they need strength, and may they feel my love in moments when they need bravery. No matter what, I never want them to feel alone as trailblazers.

A Note For Other First-Generation Latinas

To my fellow first-generation Latina moms, I see you. I understand the challenges you face, the sacrifices you make, and the triumphs that sometimes go unnoticed. We may walk a path not always understood by those closest to us, but it’s a path that we can walk together, supporting and uplifting one another.

Let’s celebrate our wins, big and small. Let’s acknowledge the strength it takes to carve out our paths, even when they diverge from the expectations set for us. Remember, you are both creating and building a new story with your own family. To all my first-generation Latina mothers or any mothers who are healing their inner child, know that you are not alone, even if you may feel isolated at times. You are building something so new that they don’t yet understand. You are charting new territories and may feel unseen because you are trailblazing.

Be proud of you—I am proud of you. Keep crafting your legacy.