Ari Aguilar (right) poses with her mom, Zulma (center), and her sister, Paulina (left).
Support Is A Universal Language
9/27/2023 1:53 PM | DEIBJ
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By: Ari Aguilar
Saludos a todos mis osos orgullosos! (Salute to all of my proud Bears!) It's funny how that rhymes, right? It's also pretty fortunate that it flows so well in my first language. For the first 5-6 years of my life, I mostly spoke Spanish only, por que, as my dad would firmly say "en esta casa no más se hable español!" ("In this house, only Spanish is spoken!"). My older sister and I would often roll our eyes as he said that, but we knew preserving Spanish was important to our parents.Â
Now before I continue, I want to state that I identify as a first-generation Latina. My mom came to the states from Bogota, Colombia, and my father came from Chihuahua, Mexico. Both had very little knowledge of the English language, and my sister and I knew we'd be responsible for educating them along the way. Essentially, they grew up with us! They had us SO young, and as much as they parented us, we were re-parenting them, teaching them our language and exposing them to a new form of love. My mom struggled to be taken seriously at work because of her thick accent, and my dad would get mocked for speaking with such passion y con muchas ganas. I knew the language barrier was hard on them, but they persisted, and eventually we acquired a third unofficial language in the household, Spanglish! The language barrier became something they were able to overcome, and I knew nothing could ever silence them again.Â
An older photo of Ari Aguilar (top), her mom and her sister.
They inspired me to go after what I want. I'm fortunate to feel like nothing has ever gotten in the way of my success as I continued my career in sports here at Cal. I'd like to thank my mom mostly for that. She went from working in las loncheras in Paramount, CA, to climbing the corporate ladder for an envelope manufacturing company all without a high school diploma. She never got in her own way; why should I?
When she found out that I was starting a career in sports, she showed me endless support. I've never been a creature of comfort, and at that point I wanted to stir things up. Even if it meant I, her baby, was moving away from the only home she was able to provide me with, she knew I would find my footing anywhere I went, because she's with me every step of the way. In fact, I want everyone to know if you've met me, you've met her! Her words, her mannerisms, her corny jokes, and her loud laugh are all pieces I've been able to embody personally and translate them into my career path. It's what's allowed me to find so much joy in what I do here at Cal and the community that surrounds it. She raised me to greet everyone and make sure everyone feels noticed because you never know what kind of impact that may have.
There's a reason why the Spanish language is often associated with passion. It's because of the people who speak it; they're the ones who continue to bring life into every sentence and resurrect the voices of our ancestors in every single word we speak. Words carry weight, and mine have taken me this far in an industry I never really saw people like me thriving in. I aspire to be a resource for those looking to get into working in college athletics, and learn more about how I can be a better advocate for the student-athlete population at Cal.They inspire me to go above the scope of my role and strive to do better by them the same way my parents did for me and my sister.
I've been here for almost a year, and as I enter the second season of my life working at Cal, I can finally say that I feel a strong sense of home that has the potential to come close to what I had in my hometown, Downey, CA. It's true when they say, "Mi casa es su casa," "My house is your house," and I can wholeheartedly say that Cal, and all of the people I've shared amazing moments with this past year, have made me feel right at home. Me siento muy orgullosa estar aqui, y espero dejar todos lo que lean esto un sentido de apoyó no matter where you're at in life, or where you go.
Ari Aguilar is an Account Executive in Cal Athletics' Ticket Sales & Service department.
