My name is Tom Garcia (he/him/his) and I’m proudly Mexican-American.
A quick story about my background: my parents met in Mexico in the late 60’s when my dad (Guillermo) was in medical school in Mexico City. He was 21 and spoke no English when he met my mom (Paddy), who was visiting from Pennsylvania. I was born a few years later at a clinic in Salamanca, Guanajuato when my parents were living in Irapuato, as my dad was doing his social service after graduating. My parents ultimately moved to Harrisburg, PA in the mid-70s to be near my mom’s family.
My dad grew up in a very humble household where hard work, reading and a huge emphasis on continued learning were a focus. As a teenager, he became interested in medicine and became a frequent volunteer at the hospital in Mexico City. As the story goes, he showed up to the hospital at 16 years old asking to volunteer, a doctor told him to put on a white lab coat, and the next thing he knew he was delivering babies – apparently there was a staff shortage!
Though I grew up in PA, Mexico and my Mexican heritage were never far away. We frequently visited my dad’s side of the family in Irapuato, Ebano, Mante, Salamanca, Guanajuato, Mexico City, and with many, many trips to Tampico. As a prickly teenager, I sometimes wondered why we only traveled to Mexico, but I will forever be thankful to my parents for ensuring that my Mexican family and heritage became such an important part of my life.
Growing up, we were the only Mexican-Americans in our community, which was challenging at times, but we were very fortunate that my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins likewise came to visit us as much as they did. I even had a live-in tennis coach as a teenager when my Uncle Mundo, who taught at a local tennis club, lived with us for a few years.
As I reflect on all of the ways that my heritage has impacted me, I think the biggest impact is the value of family and hard work. This is something that my wife and I are striving to instill in our teenage kids.
With my dad moving back to Mexico permanently a few years ago, we make sure to visit him as much as possible and feel fortunate to be able to spend these visits with extended family as well.
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