Walking the halls of LT as a student, Ximena N. Beltran Quan Kui ‘05 was nearly the only person of color among her friends, let alone a Mexican-Chinese Immigrant, and therefore, the only entry point to a Hispanic culture. 

Although she would have been seen as popular, she was in constant survival mode, both on and off campus. On Oct. 3, Quan Kui returned to LT to share her success story as a part of LT’s Hispanic Heritage month celebration, Nuestra Historia: Our Story.

“I Invited [Quan Kui because] It’s important to see [LT] graduates from many different backgrounds and identities,” Director of Equity and Belonging Jennifer Rowe said “kids need to see in real time not just people on a wall but younger people today who are not so far removed from where students are, doing amazing things and that are successful.”

Throughout Quan Kui’s time in high school, she worked two jobs, took advanced-level classes, but was a C student, and helped provide for her family of a different socioeconomic class than most of her peers. Belonging is something she struggled with, skipping out on prom and graduation, she didn’t find what she was looking for until she left LT for new experiences. 

“I [came here] to be in the version of myself that I wish at 17 I had heard a different perspective [from],” Quan Kui said. “Other than I had to take a traditional route [or] I had to get good grades.”

DePaul University in Chicago was where she continued her education, leaving with a bachelor’s degree in communication, a master’s degree in journalism, and a sense of belonging. Born in Mexico City and raised in LT’s community, Quan Ki is proud to be an alumnus, with Oct. 3 being her second visit back. 

“I [now] show up being Mexican every day in my work [and] in my partnerships,” Quan Kui said. “I write about being Mexican, and I bring that perspective [everywhere].”

Growing up, Quan Kui expressed that her sister was presumed to have a disability simply because she spoke Spanish and not English, and her only examples of Hispanics were blue-collar workers. When she first saw a Hispanic person in power, from government to athletics, she felt she could have that power. Ximena has now broken the generational stereotypes she saw around her. She has more than 200 bylines in publications such as The New York Times, CNN, Food & Wine, and Harper’s Bazaar. She has experience in content creation, crisis communication, brand reputation, and community building. 

“Statistically, when you’re raised by a single [immigrant] mother, the likelihood of you being a teenage pregnancy, college dropout, being on drugs, [or serving] jail time [all] increases,” Quan Kui said. “I beat all of those odds.” 

Quan Kui has outstanding pride to be the success story she once didn’t see for Hispanic Americans or immigrants. She has built her career on being herself and wielding her identity within her writing to play to her strong suit. Now primarily a freelancer, she tells stories of culture and heritage for all people. Coming to the United States, she started from zero, planting seeds for success without guidance or connections, so all of her opportunities came from her talent and brutal honesty in storytelling. 

“I’m in a place in my life where I have accomplished a lot I thought would take me a lifetime, so the things I plan to do are what I’m already doing,” Quan Kui said. “My seeds are now trees, and I want them to become fruits.”