Juliette Gonzalez, Celia Liu
Ms. Bohlman, the assistant principal of organization (APO) at Cardozo High School, is very big on representing cultures throughout the school.
“Growing up, I never felt accepted for being Hispanic,” she recalled.
Being seen in your identity, whether it be through race, gender, culture, or something else, is an important value that all public spaces should be able to embody. However, the inclusivity we see around us today was not how times were when Bohlman was growing up.
Raised in an Ecuadorian-American household on Long Island, Ms. Bohlman wasn’t surrounded by many Hispanic people. During her time as a student, she rarely felt seen in her predominately white school and often felt the need to hide her identity.
“People assumed I was Italian or some other race. Never Hispanic,” she explained. “It was not very widely accepted.”
Those who were a bit more open-minded during that time were able to acknowledge Hispanic identities, but they often did so poorly. So poorly, in fact that the open-mindedness was often overshadowed by a surge of unintentional racism.
“Those who accepted Hispanic people often went, ‘Oh, so you’re Mexican?’ when presented with someone like me… it was very hard for others to grasp the idea of other identities,” Ms. Bohlman expressed. “If you tried explaining the existence of Ecuadorians, they’d just look at you funny and write you off as Mexican.”
Even in adulthood, when she began working, she subconsciously stifled her identity. While she wasn’t necessarily trying to hide her race, it almost became a habit.
“One time, I was working, and I began speaking Spanish…my colleague looked at me in surprise and asked me, ‘You can speak Spanish?'” Ms. Bohlman recalled. “And I was like, ‘Yes! I do speak Spanish!'”
Though most of her childhood was spent having to repress her identity, Ms. Bohlman now shows great pride in her Ecuadorian heritage. Bits and pieces of Ecuadorian culture are placed all over her office — like the woven tapestry or miniature flag hung on her plant.
Small fragments of Hispanic culture being present in her workspace may not seem like much to the average person but every item holds a part of Mrs. Bohlman’s pride in being Ecuadorian.
As the APO, not only does she constantly make sure that boards are decorated to reflect the different cultures present at Cardozo, but she also takes time to pick out music to ensure that it matches the occasion.
She also shared that students should remember to take pride in themselves. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you no,” Ms. Bohlman said. “Do your thing, and be proud of who you are.”
