H. Lopez – February 23rd, 2014
Ms. Lopez was relaxing with her friends on a cool Sunday afternoon at Dolores Park. Originally from Austin, Texas she ventured to San Francisco to study graphic design at the Academy of Art University. We spoke about living in the city and she told me that Austin is experiencing a similar culture shift. Gentrification is becoming a very heated and controversial issue in the Bay Area and apparently East Austin is going through the same thing, where rents in some areas have almost doubled since 2010.
Ms. Lopez claims her America is to be determined. She is a first generation citizen and feels that the definition of “first generation” is being redefined. When her parents immigrated to the States they had to assimilate to American culture, abandoning many important things from their home. Ms. Lopez feels this is happening less frequently in our present day, and explained that this new group of “first generation” Americans are more empowered because they have the room and freedom to express themselves. Hence, TBD (to be determined …); Ms. Lopez is trying to find her place and define what America means to her.
