Barbara Llongo-Cueva

20 YEARS OLD, DAUGHTER OF ECUADOR.

Immigrating to the United States

We came here when I was 17 so I could go to college. For us, the language and the culture were the hardest things to adapt to. There’s a different culture here, a different mindset. We faced some racism since we weren’t familiar with the language. At home, back in Ecuador, the culture and society we lived in were so different. I’m from the countryside, and we barely have buildings. There’s a house, plants, animals, and maybe if you drive 15 more minutes, you’ll find another house. So being in New York is so different. 

Most of the household chores fall on me, especially taking care of my sister. Since there’s a 12-year age gap between us, I was another mother to her. I help her with her homework, and since we’ve come to the United States, I go with her to some ESL classes. Even though there’s a 5-year age gap between my brother and me, I’m a woman, so all of the chores still fall on me. I clean, cook for them, and make sure my siblings are doing well in school while also making sure they keep up with their small chores. I feel like the leader of my house. We don’t live with my father, but my mom works and studies. So, in order to help her, I took on a lot of household roles.

The adjustment from Ecuador to the United States was difficult. We don’t have the same support as we did back home. No uncles, aunts, or cousins. Back there, I wasn’t overwhelmed; we had a community. Of course, there are cultural stereotypes where the women in Latino households always take care of the house and the children. But I feel like when I was growing up in Ecuador, there was more support there since we had family. Here, it’s only the four of us. It’s harder because you have to prioritize family and school at the same time.

A Latina in Medicine

I’m double-majoring in psychology and biochemistry, and hopefully getting my M.D. or Ph.D. At first, I was focusing purely on getting an M.D., but I didn’t know how long the process actually was. You have to get your bachelor’s, take a gap year for the MCAT, and then there’s applying to medical school. I still want to explore that road. Currently, I’m working in a translational lab. It’s interesting being a Ph.D. and being able to go into translational research, targeting minorities and showing the science and data. I’m not sure, but I feel like I see myself maybe working in both an office and a laboratory. 

I feel like having mentorship programs would help other first-generation medical students so much. I think a lot of mentorship programs seem too prestigious or something that not everyone can get the knowledge about. Having an organization, or a website with the information — which classes you need to take, the requirements, meetings, free or scholarship-based English lessons — would help so much. Most of us first-gen students came here without knowing the resources. I’m trying to find a route where I can go somewhere for free, but it’s still expensive. I know I’m probably going to have to take out student loans because there isn’t a lot of funding available. There’s no organization supporting that, so I might join the Army. I just wish there were more organizations to support Latina immigrants who want to go into medicine.

There are so many young Latinas in the medical field, which we need. We need more people in the Hispanic/Latino community to become physicians and give back. Unfortunately, there is a bias from Latinos who feel like they can’t be treated by someone who doesn’t know Spanish. In my volunteer work in the inpatient department at Elmhurst Hospital, most Latinos and Hispanic people feel more confident when speaking to someone who knows their language. They’ll point to me and say to their nurses, ‘Her, mija! I want her. No me entiendes. Ella entiende todo.’ I’m thankful for that, that they feel comfortable with me. It feels like I can target what they need exactly, without them having to cover or simplify their needs or symptoms. 

It’s a pleasure to represent my country in healthcare. I want to break stigmas about Latinos in healthcare, especially immigrants. I want to inspire the younger generation, like my little sister, and to show them that maybe it’s not that difficult and hard. Of course, I’m not going to change the world, but I want to make small changes. Small changes that will lead to good changes over time.

Being the Eldest

Every day, I feel pressure to set an example for my brother and sister. Yes, there are small things like saying something that my sister might repeat, but mostly because I’m in charge of them. They spend a lot of time with me. And especially my sister, she’s a copy and paste of me. I have to be very careful with my actions if I want to do something because she’ll do the same thing. 

In the first years we were in the U.S., there was so much pressure, almost too much. I was working and had to drop some classes. But throughout the semesters, I met with different people, and we built a community. With them, I have the support I need and peers to study with. Finding people who are struggling with the same issues that I have has been helpful. I always feel the pressure, but I can’t complain because I’m lucky to have this pressure. I know there are people back in Ecuador who aren’t able to study at college and don’t have the money for it. They’re amazing students who aren’t able to have the same opportunities I have. 

I’m the first person in my family to go to college. It was hard to convince my mom, especially when I had to take late classes. She always tried to make me drop the class or take it in other semesters. But I had no choice, of course, it’s the prerequisites that have the worst class times. My mom even tried to convince me to graduate later. It’s hard for her to understand what I’m doing at school. I’m trying to show her that I’m not doing this because I don’t want to be at home, I’m doing this to benefit all of us. I don’t want her to keep working until she’s in her 60s. I want her support now so I can support her later. 

But my mom always mentioned to me that a career is the best, most important thing to have. Later in life, you can start thinking about having a family. Seeing it from her perspective, I know now she wanted to go to college but couldn’t. She makes sure that all of her kids understand that education is first and that, since we have this amazing opportunity in the U.S., we need to take advantage of that. 

Some semesters, I take the minimum amount of credits I can take to support my family, and I only have classes three days a week. My work is very flexible, I’m only working 10 hours a week. I try to get home by like 6 p.m. so I can cook. My brother and sister are in after-school programs, so I don’t have to leave before then to pick them up. I try to manage deadlines the best I can. But I know sometimes I won’t be able to volunteer or do things I want to do. Sometimes I don’t sleep because it’s hard to manage everything. I keep reminding myself that every effort I put in now will be rewarded.

This story has been edited and condensed from an interview.