By Kirsten Sepulvado
In 1991 Marion Scott was diagnosed with leukemia. A few years prior she had just moved from Guatemala to America to experience American culture. She wanted to experience American college and football games that they did not really have in her home country. Scott’s favorite parts of now living in America are being closer to her family because she is a family-oriented person and the food. She claims to love American food and that there is a more variety of foods from other countries. Scott struggled with leukemia for three years and since that time she said she has learned to appreciate life more.
What is it that made you want to move to America?
“I always wanted to experience the states. I wanted to go to an American college and see the football games and cheerleaders and see all the things they did not have in Guatemala. I graduated from the University of Mississippi and wanted to simply try new things. I always liked a variety of foods, and most of my family already lived in the states. I am very family oriented and wanted to be closer to them.”
What was your childhood like in Guatemala?
Marion says that during her adolescence she was privileged but they were currently living through the Guatemalan Civil War. During this time Ms. Scott says that there were military checkpoints and they were pulled over often. She says that at that point in time the military was made up solely of men and so being a young woman by yourself can be intimidating and scary. It always made her uncomfortable when these men were searching her car. She tells us about how once she was in the airport and was separately pulled back into a room and these military men were taking every item of clothing out of her suitcase one by one and teased her. She also states that “A lot of times at school we were evacuated because of bomb threats to the school.” She says that this happened often and once the military decided to bomb a “guerilla safe house” that was across the street from the school that her little siblings went to. This bombing happened during school hours and the children were in lockdown. They were not allowed to leave until it was completely over and this made Marion and her family scared for her younger siblings.
Do you miss it there?
Ms. Scott says that she does miss her country because there were beautiful mountains and volcanoes. She always appreciated the sunset because it set right in between two volcanoes and says, “the colors were amazing, the skies were purple and pink, you know I do miss that.”
She says that since she left the country she has been back three times, and her most recent time was about 10 years ago. She moved to America in 1986 to go to college and graduated in 1990.
What inspired you to become a teacher
Ms. Scott says that her mother was her inspiration. She taught at Marion’s high school in English and she says she always wanted to be like her and always knew she wanted to be a teacher. She says that she knows a few of her students in her class have the love of the language and the culture. She wants to instill a love of learning new things and about new things. She says it is more than the language and the grammar. She wants her students to enjoy learning about the culture, food, the festivals, etc.
What were your biggest challenges coming to America?
Ms. Scott says that her biggest challenge was that, in Guatemala, she did not have a solid high school education and went straight from high school to an American college. She says that when she graduated high school she didn’t even know how to write a research paper. Marion says that she just wishes she had a better foundation of education before going into college.