Over the years of my life, I have constantly thought about how being Latina has shaped the way of my life.

Now unlike many other Latinas and Latinos, I was raised in a very mixed household. My mom having a Samoan background and both my dad and stepdad coming from a Latino household. I always felt as if there was a bad connotation with being Latina and I never really liked associating with my ethnicity.

I always felt that when someone looked at me, the first thing they noticed was the color of my skin and quickly associated me with being Mexican.

Now don't get me wrong I love the color of my skin and have come to terms with my ethnic background, but I feel as if many others haven't.

During the presidential election in 2016, there were many issues that were addressed especially within the Latin community. Trump publicly addressed that some Mexican immigrants were "dirty" and "rapists." This quickly made me realize that people had a certain stigma and mindset towards immigrants from South America.

On a side note, I would like to quickly point out that not every Latino or Latina person is from Mexico and yes this does offend many people. Not only did this make me think about my culture, but it also made me feel as if being a young, Mexican woman was a bad thing.

On a day to day basis, people don't understand the constant struggle that many immigrants face to make sure that not only they have a better life for themselves, but that their kids and grandkids do too. Yes, I understand how every family wants this, but if you had people looking at you like you don't belong and telling you to "go back to where you came from," then this would make you feel like crap.

My papa always told me that just because I'm darker than most people in my friend group or in my school doesn't mean that I don't have the same advantage as them. The only thing that I have to do is work 10000 times harder than they would to be looked at the same way that they would.

I always talk to my parents about how I feel being the only Latina person in most of my classes, but I always think to myself that I'm here for a reason. I'm here to show a younger generation of Latinas that you can do anything, even if people don't believe you can because of your cultural background.

I feel as if many people don't believe that racism is still a problem in our country, but you would only know that this is an issue if you are a person of color. Microaggressions are a real thing and people actually say racist things that they think is okay.

"Where are you really from?"

"You're really smart for being Mexican."

"Did you cross the border to get here?"

"I thought you spoke Spanish 'cause you're Mexican?"

These are just some of the microaggressions that not only I have heard but many others have. Hearing this hurts me, but it conjures up a fire within me to make sure that this stops happening. Also on another side note, just because someone is a Latina or Latino, does not mean that they know Spanish!!! You can be a Latina or Latino and still not speak a lick of Spanish; it does not make you any lesser of a Hispanic than someone else.

It took me a while to actually accept and embrace my culture because many others hadn't.

Never change yourself to fit in with the rest of the crowd and just know that you might not be the only one that has yet to come to terms with your culture. It took me a while and is still taking me some time to come to terms with being a Latina, but love being mixed and I love being Mexican and Samoan.

Going back to my question, is being Latina a bad thing? The answer to that question is simple. No.

I would never trade the color of my skin or my culture for anything. Being Latina gives me an opportunity to view the world in a different way, as well as give more knowledge to others about my culture. If you are a Latina or Latino just know that you are beautiful and don't ever forget that.

You are not "dirty" or "illegal," you are a human being that can change the world. Also, always listen to your parents when they say you are capable of doing anything you set your mind to.