>>> BEING A FIRST GENERATION LATINO AMERICAN COMES WITH AWARDS AND STRUGGLES.

HONORING YOUR ROOTS AND DEFINING YOUR ABILITY AS AMERICAN TO DEALING WITH WEIGHT OF FAMILY EXPECTATIONS WHILE FORE GOING YOUR OWN PATH.

HERE TO SHARE THEIR OWN JOURNEYS AS FIRST GENERATION LATINO.

THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.

>> I WANT TO START WITH YOU, BRIAN.

TELL ME WHERE YOU GREW UP AND HOW DO YOU DEFINE BEING FIRST GENERATION.

>> I GREW UP IN BELLWOOD SINCE I WAS A KID.

MY COMMUNITY WAS BLACK AND BROWN.

I GREW UP I GUESS YOU COULD SAY FEELING A LITTLE BIT CONFUSION FROM MY HOUSEHOLD, BEING ONLY SPANISH SPEAKING AND SCHOOL WOULD BE ONLY ENGLISH.

I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THERE WAS A CHANGE GOING ON WITHIN MONTHS IN FEDERAL HOUSE AND THE SCHOOL.

I THOUGHT THIS WAS NORMAL.

BUT I STARTED REALIZING I WASN'T AROUND A LOT OF LATINOS GROWING UP.

EVEN MY FRIENDSHIPS, I WASN'T SPEAKING SPANISH.

I WASN'T INVOLVED IN ANY OF THAT AT ALL.

FOR ME IT WAS MORE SO ADAPTING TO THE REAL WORLD AND KIND OF THINGS OUR PARENTS DON'T UNDERSTAND OR DIDN'T HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OR ACCESS TO BE ABLE TO TELL US WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN IN OUR LIVES FOR THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS.

GUESS IT'S WINGING IT.

>> FIGURING IT OUT.

>> YES.

>> CAN YOU TALK ABOUT CHALLENGES WHEN YOU WERE FLED BACK BEING THE FIRST?

>> YES.

DAD IS FROM GUATEMALA.

GROWING UP HERE, THAT'S A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY.

I THINK IT ALSO COMES WITH A LOT OF PRIDE KNOWING YOU ARE SETTING AND PAVING THE WAY FOR YOUNGER SIBLINGS AND ALSO FOR ANYONE ELSE IN OUR COMMUNITY AS LATINOS AND LATINAS.

IT CAME WITH TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT WHICH I STILL HAVE IN A LOT OF WAYS.

IT COMES WITH ALSO KNOWING SOMETIMES IT IS OKAY TO BE SELFISH IN WAYS THAT AS PARENTS WE WERE NOT ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH CERTAIN THINGS FOR THEMSELVES THEY MIGHT HAVE WANTED.

BY SACRIFICING THOSE, THEY WANTED TO PROVIDE A BETTER FUTURE HERE.

KNOWING IT IS OKAY TO BE SELFISH IN THE SENSE THAT WE ARE GOING TO MAKE THEM PROUD IN THE WAYS THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO FULFILL FOR THEMSELVES.

>> YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT STORY.

YOU CAME TO THE U.S.

WHEN YOU WERE SEVEN YEARS OLD.

WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE FOR YOU?

>> BEING UNDOCUMENTED IN THE UNITED STATES CAN BE VERY CHALLENGING.

I THINK I WAS OFTEN A SPACE WHERE I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE I BELONGED.

WITH PARENTS AT HOME SPEAKING SPANISH AND OVERCOMING BARRIERS MANY IMMIGRANTS FACE IN THE UNITED STATES AND NAVIGATING EXPERIENCES IN THE WORLD, AT SCHOOL, SPEAKING ENGLISH, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS MOST SCARY WAS THE SENSE OF YOU ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO AM I?

WHAT DO I BELIEVE IN?

AND YOU ARE STILL TRYING TO BE PROUD OF YOUR PARENTS' TRADITIONS.

TRYING TO SIMULATE TO AMERICAN CULTURE AND ALSO OWN THE IDENTITY OF AMERICAN.

>> I REMEMBER WITH CELINA, I AM NOT AMERICAN ENOUGH FOR THE AMERICANS, NOT MEXICAN ENOUGH FOR THE MEXICANS.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY.

YOU SHOOT CELEBRITIES.

TELL ME WHERE THAT STARTED.

>> IT STARTED WHEN I WAS A KID.

I AM AN ARTIST.

I DO PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS.

I HAVE BEEN DOING THAT SINCE I WAS YOUNG, WRITING POETRY AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

IT STARTED FROM MY SPACE.

I USED TO DO GRAPHIC DESIGN, DO THEIR PHOTOS FOR LIKE $15, PARTY FLYERS AND STUFF.

ONE DAY MY DAD, HE WAS A PHOTOGRAPHER WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER, AND HE WOULD TAKE PICTURES OF ARCHITECTURE.

HE ENDED UP BUYING A CAMERA.

HE SAID YOU ARE GOOD AT GRAPHIC DESIGN.

IF YOU HAD A HIGH QUALITY CAMERA, IT WOULD MAKE YOUR PICTURES LOOK BETTER.

ONE DAY HE BOUGHT A CAMERA AND I WAS LIKE I AM NOT REALLY INTERESTED.

I GRABBED IT AND STARTED TAKING PICTURES AND STARTED EDITING WITH SISTERS, COUSINS, PEOPLE AT SCHOOL.

>> AND YOU GOT YOUR FIRST REAL GIG.

HOW DID THAT FEEL?

>> I AM FROM CHICAGO AND WE ARE LATINO AND NOT RAISED TO BELIEVE OTHER THAN YOU NEED TO WORK REALLY, REALLY HARD.

US BEING AMERICAN NOW AND FINDING NEW WAYS TO CHANGE OUR GENERATIONS, TO BREAK THE GENERATIONAL CURSES OF AGAIN KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG AND THAT WE DO NOW, I AM VERY GRATEFUL TO BE IN THIS POSITION AS A LATINO.

>> TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT AND CREATING A PATH.

WHAT GOT YOU INSPIRED INTO GOING INTO THE MENTAL BEHAVIOR FIELD?

>> MY PARENTS GOT DIVORCED WHEN I WAS A VERY YOUNG AGE.

I REMEMBER MOM MAKING SURE MY BROTHER AND MYSELF HAD A THERAPIST AND ALSO SHE HAD A THERAPIST.

YOU THINK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND IT IS STILL A TABOO TOPIC.

WE HAVE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS.

THINKING BACK I ADMIRE HER IN A SENSE THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO TAKE THAT LEAP.

I WILL GET YOU THE HELP YOU NEED DURING THIS TRANSITION.

I THINK BEING IN THE FIELD IT'S PROVIDED ME WITH FULFILLMENT KNOWING I AM MAKING AN IMPACT AND ALSO BEING ABLE TO MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE IN THEIR JOURNEY, WHETHER IT'S OBSTACLES OR ANNOUNCEMENTS.

>> YOU ARE MAKING WAVES YOURSELF.

YOU HAVE YOUR OWN PRACTICE.

WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE?

>> I THINK IT IS A REFLECTION OF SIMILAR EXPERIENCES, TRYING TO FIND OUT WHO I BELIEVE AND WHO I WAS, TRYING TO FEEL CONNECTED, TRYING TO FIND A SPACE WHERE I COULD FEEL THAT WAS MYSELF.

I WOULD SAY IT SHOWED UP AS ANXIETY, STRESS.

REALLY HAVE THE LANGUAGE, IT IS IMPORTANT TO WORK THROUGH A LOT OF THOSE.

>> I CAN IMAGINE THE CHALLENGES TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT, HOW TO RUN YOUR BUSINESS.

HOW WOULD YOU NAVIGATE THAT?

>> IT CAN BE VERY TRICKY.

I THINK WHAT I TELL PEOPLE IS DON'T GIVE UP.

BELIEVE IN YOUR WORTH.

BELIEVE YOU CAN DO IT.

YOU ARE SMART.

YOU ARE COMPETENT.

A LOT OF IT IS MAKING TIME TO PROCESS AND LEARN MORE INFORMATION AND FINDING MENTORSHIP SO YOU CAN BEGIN TO GROW.

DON'T FEEL SO ALONE IN THE CHALLENGES.

>> HOW WOULD YOU SAY YOU ARE USING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED IN AMERICA AND THE LESSONS YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM FAMILY TO CREATE YOUR OWN PATH?

>> I GET A LOT OF INSPIRATION FROM MY PARENTS, THINKING ABOUT THE JOURNEY OF CROSSING THE BORDER, TELLING ME THE EXPERIENCES THEY WENT THROUGH.

EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.

I THINK TIME TO TIME IF WOULD I BE ABLE TO MENTALLY DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

I DON'T THINK I WOULD BE ABLE TO.

I LOOK AT IT AS INSPIRATION OF OF IF THEY CAN COME TO A PLACE WHERE THEY DON'T KNOW THE LANGUAGE, THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO READ OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, WHAT EXCUSE DO I HAVE WITH EVERYTHING THEY CAME FOR ME TO DO?

IT PUSHES AND MOTIVATES ME WITH THEIR RESILIENCE AND EAGERNESS FOR US TO HAVE A BETTER FUTURE.

>> WHAT'S ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF AND YOUR JOURNEY?

>> RESILIENCY.