Thais Fernández

Although 63.3 percent of the nation’s Latino or Hispanic population is Mexican, freshman Thais Fernández is of the 36.7 percent from a country other than Mexico as her family originates from Peru.

“In a city like Frisco that is mostly white, I feel like I am a part of something bigger as all us minorities are beginning to use our voices to help diversify this country even more,” Fernández said. “Being Latina means that I’m different from the average American because I’m a part of a foreign culture.”

The only one in her family born in America, Fernández sometimes feels detached from her Peruvian culture as her family moved to America a year before she was born in 2003.

“My family moved to the U.S. in 2002 and sometimes this causes me to feel a disconnect with my culture,” Fernández said. “All of my family members were born in Peru, and me being the only person born in America, I feel left out.”

Nevertheless, Fernández and her family celebrate the customs of Peru, as well as holidays influenced by her great great grandparents who were from Spain.

“My mom usually makes us food from Peru, like aji de gallina or ceviche, and we celebrate a historically Spanish holiday called Three Kings Day,” Fernández said.

Although being a part of the Peruvian culture comes with traditional foods and ethnic practices, Fernández has also been subjected to racial stereotyping due to her ancestry.

“If you speak Spanish then you are automatically Mexican or another one is that I automatically like rice and beans just because I’m Latina,” Fernández said. “Assumptions directed specifically towards Peruvians is that we are all farmers that live in Machu Picchu.”

In addition to stereotypes, Fernández was and still is teased because of her name.

“A lot of the time I get made fun of because I have the very Latin name of Thais Fernández,” Fernández said. “When people say it wrong, most of the time they don’t even ask how to pronounce it correctly.”

On the other hand, being a part of a family from Peru gives Fernández the advantage of having Spanish as her first language.

“Being bilingual is better than speaking only one language because I can easily test out of my foreign language credits for high school,” Fernández said. “It looks good on resumes and applications when they see you speak two languages, especially Spanish.”

In addition to academic and job advantages, Fernández speaks Spanish at home and church.

“I speak Spanish on the daily at home and visiting relatives,” Fernández said. “I go to St. Francis of Assisi’s Spanish speaking services because it’s easier for my parents to understand.”

Because her mother Thais Costa de Fernández primarily speaks Spanish, she had to continue learning and practicing her English while they transitioned into life in the States.

“At the beginning it was hard because I was still learning English,” Costa de Fernández said. “I didn’t know English very well and my accent was so strong that no one knew what I was saying, which is very annoying when trying to ask questions about things.”

Even so, Costa de Fernández is happy they made the move and satisfied by her daughters’ experiences in America.

“After so many years of living here I can say my life is good and I feel happy that I am living in America,” Fernández said. “It was better than I expected since my daughters are doing great in school and living a safe and happy life.”

Pleased with her family’s life in America, Costa de Fernández still misses her family in Peru.  

“Our whole family and good friends live in Peru and I miss it so much,” Costa de Fernández said. “It’s been extremely hard not being by the beach and close to my mom and where I grew up, but I try to go visit twice a year but mostly go once a year during Christmas.”

While the Fernández’s move to America wasn’t easy, their family back home showed their support as the move was much anticipated.

“We were always ready for a move,” Costa de Fernández said. “My family [back home] were supportive for making this move in order to make my family [here] become more successful in life.”