Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Uriel Tejeda Barajas
10/05/2020 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Junior swimmer Uriel Tejeda Barajas sits down with SIUSalukis.com to discuss his Hispanic upbringing and traveling back to Mexico.
Why did you choose swimming?
It was more of just learning how to swim at first. I was four years old and I wanted to swim with my dad in the deep end. After a while of taking swim lessons, a lady came up and told my mom that I was pretty good and should join the swim team. My mom looked into it and I joined. After that, I never really looked back. I had other options, but I just thought that I had progressed a lot in swimming.Â
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Did you have any significant traditions growing up?Â
We do all the usual stuff. The Three Kings, Christmas and more. We just celebrate in a different way, I guess. I'm originally from the United States, so my family has become accustomed to the culture here as well.
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Have you ever been back to Mexico?
Yeah, I've been three times. I went last year to swim. First, it was for a national meet. After that, I went for training.Â
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What was the national meet like? What'd it mean to you to perform at such a high level?
That was my first time I could've gone. I didn't have the same kind of connections that I have now. It was a really big experience for me. You meet people from the entire nation, one in which I'm not entirely accustomed to. The setup was different, and their rules are a little different with setting everything up. So, I had to get used to that a little. It was different, but I enjoyed it a lot.Â
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Did your family teach you about your family's culture? How important is it to you know about Mexican culture?
Yeah, they told me to be proud of who I am, especially in the United States. They told me it'd be different in terms of what I'm used to and what others are used to. They always said to not get offended and to keep your chin up. Always be proud of who you are.Â
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How important is Hispanic Heritage Month to you and your family?
I really didn't even know that the month existed. For us, our heritage is just every day. We always take pride in our background.Â
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What makes you proud to be Hispanic?
I'm proud to be Hispanic because I've got a different background than most people. I'm also proud just to be able to do the sport that I'm doing. My family has said that doing a sport in Mexico is a lot harder than it is doing it out here. Not a lot of people in Mexico have the resources that I've been lucky to have in order to be able to do this here. Being here, doing what I'm already doing is a privilege. I'm grateful for all my parents have done for me and for getting me to this point.
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