Up at 4 a.m., before the birds had found their voices, I stood shivering in thirty-degree weather, layered in every jacket I could find in the closet.
I had not planned on walking in the Baylor Homecoming Parade, but when prompted with the opportunity to represent my cultural background by holding the Spanish flag, I found myself nodding. It was my junior year at Baylor, and I had only ever participated in the Homecoming parade as a spectator, never as a parader.
As the first light began to spill pink across the sky, drowsy yet eager eyes met us with warm coffee and a collection of conchas and breakfast “pan”. Voices rose, floats arrived, and excitement grew as it became closer to time for us to parade across Waco.
As someone with a unique cultural background, any opportunity to represent my mixed upbringing was also an opportunity to represent my countries, my family, and the identity that shaped who I am. I felt “orgullo” standing there, 5 ft flag of Spain in hand, getting to participate in an activity that not only encouraged who I was, but also gave me a deeper community, a sense of belonging, and an unforgettable memory.
As I walked in the oldest and largest homecoming parades in the country, I waved the flag with passion, smiling until it hurt, trying to memorize how I felt, not wanting it to end. That morning, I walked as Nina Um, but also as the embodiment of Spanish, Korean, and American history, stories, and traditions that led me to Baylor. A confidence in who I was, who I was becoming, and knowing that the Lord led me exactly where I was supposed to be.
Nina Um (’23, MA ’25)
Waco, Texas
