Growing up, there were very few people in the media who looked like me. I can remember watching shows on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon and wondering why there were no Hispanic characters or families who I could relate to. There were no actresses with the same caramel colored skin or the same frizzy, curly hair like mine. There were no families gathering around the dinner table eating arroz con pollo or celebrating Three King's Day. As a first generation Puerto-Rican American, I longed to see not only people who looked like me in the media, but people who I could look up to that were making a difference in the world. I am truly proud to say that as the years have passed, the representation of Hispanics has changed drastically. Here is a list of eight Latinos who are making great strides in building a better future for us all, and providing the Hispanic community with influential role models to look up to.
1. Gina Rodriguez
Gina Rodriguez is a Puerto Rican actress most famous for playing the role of Jane Villanueva in the hit CW show "Jane the Virgin". She founded the We Will Foundation which aims to empower young women who want to pursue a career in the arts and was just recently awarded a Young Humanitarian Award for her efforts. Rodriguez also started a movement on her Instagram page called #MovementMondays, in which she highlights other Latinos in the industry who are making a difference.
2. Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lin-Manuel Miranda is a Puerto Rican actor, composer, and writer most famously known for creating and starring in the Tony Award winning musical, "Hamilton". Miranda won a Pulitzer Prize in drama for his broadway success and was actively involved in Hillary Clinton's Presidential campaign in which he urged the Latino community to come out and vote. He also joined Democratic leaders in asking Congress to back a Senate bill that would allow Puerto Rico to declare bankruptcy in an effort to ease the common wealth's devastating $70 billion debt.
3. Catherine Cortez Masto
Catherine Cortez Masto is a Mexican-American politician and attorney who recently became the first Latina Senator. Cortez served two terms as the Attorney General of Nevada and advocates for women and children who are victims of human trafficking and violence.
4. Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor is of Puerto Rican descent and became the first Latina Supreme Court Judge in U.S. history in 2009. Sotomayor voted in favor of two landmark Supreme Court rulings including a key component change to the 2010 Affordable Care Act and Obergefell vs. Hodges (the ruling that made sam sex marriages legal in all 50 states).
5. Adriano Espalliat
Adriano Espalliat is the first Dominican-American in history to be elected to the United States Congress. Espalliat made headlines when he announced in a speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention that he was also the first formerly undocumented immigrant to be elected to Congress.
6. Ana Navarro
Ana Navarro is a Nicaraguan-born Republican strategist who immigrated to the United States with her family in 1980. She is most known for being a commentator and political contributor for CNN and CNN Español. Navarro served as the National Co-chair of Senator John McCain's Hispanic Advisory Council in 2008 and also served as Governor Jeb Bush's Director of Immigration Policy. She gained criticism for openly expressing her distaste for President-elect Donald Trump and announcing that her vote would be going to Hillary Clinton instead, despite her political affiliation.
7. Rosario Dawson
8. Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria is a Mexican-American actress who is famously known for her role in the television show "Desperate Housewives". Most people may not know that she is extremely active in U.S. politics. Longoria worked closely with President Barack Obama when she served as a co-chair in his 2012 campaign. She even helped President Obama in making a key change to his Immigration Policy.
