Carmen C. Brenes Jette, Ph.D.
Lexington, MA
“What! You don’t look Puerto Rican!” was my other choice. I wanted to convey the power of stereotypes – how burdensome they can be and how tiring it is when you have to explain yourself, educate others constantly. Going beyond people’s expectations can be so freeing (I am remembering a school counselor who told me I would never go beyond city college yet I graduated from an Ivy League school in three years and entered a doctorate program at age 20) and yet there is still pressure to be all things to all people, your people. Yes, I have a doctorate and am a successful psychologist and many fellow Puerto Ricans are proud that one of their own made it. Yet, some other Puerto Ricans point out that a true Latina can dance. This one can’t.
