Carolina Guadalupe Avila Saldaña

is the name, being Latina is the game. I've embraced these four long, beautiful words as my marker of my past, present, and future. They mean more to me than anything else. It's a remainder of where my parents come from and the countless sacrifices they have made for me. Almost every Latino kid understands, it's part of our culture. It's traditional that we take our mother's maiden name and our father's last name. I've carried it through every single one of my milestones. I had it called out at my high school graduation (although it was slightly butchered, but A+ for effort) and hopefully many other milestones to come. My name is one of countless traditions that I love about my culture. My Latino heritage has brought me so many challenges but also brought me the greatest pride. I take pride on being a Mexican-Guatemalan, first-generation American and student, woman and all of my current and future accomplishments.

I have the privilege of saying that I'm the first of my family to attend college. I have the privilege of saying that I'm a first-generation American. I have the privilege of saying that I am going to be the first one to vote, vote for a President that can make positive reform for my family and our future. The point is, I have had and will continue to have the privilege of being the first in my family to do anything. My parents are immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala and the sole reason for these "first" opportunities is them. They sacrificed themselves by leaving their home countries and families to come to this great country, in hopes of achieving the American Dream. Many say the Dream is dead, but I'm proof that it isn't. I have seen the benefits of working hard for your dreams. I've seen both of my parents slave away at work trying to make ends meet as well as putting me through school. They have been to hell and back in order to ensure that I will have a future, something that they never had. As they have told me, I am their future. They have given me these amazing opportunities to succeed and build a future for many generations to come. That's the greatest gift that can ever be given. I am so proud of the fact that I am the difference. I am the start of a new life not only for myself, but also for my family.

English. Spanish. Spanglish. These are three of my favorite languages, especially Spanglish. My friends can attest that I go back and forth, making up hybrids of the two. It's quite an interesting experience. I can count on the fact that I will speak these three everyday. I have known Spanish since birth because it was the only language that my family could speak. It's the way I communicate with them. Coming into this country, my parents could only speak Spanish. Overtime, they would be able to understand native English speakers by listening to context clues, but they never had a clear understanding. Eventually, after a long process, my parents were able to successfully speak and understand. The amount of hard work that it took my parents to adopt to the American culture and language is insane. I see them struggle everyday, and it just fills me up with pride. The fact that my parents came with nothing and then built a life for themselves is something so beautiful and inspiring. I could care less if my parents could speak English because their sacrifices and actions mean more than anything.

Being a minority in this country is hard. There are constant stereotypes thrown your way from all different directions. The biggest one is people think I'm illegal because of my appearance. But you know what? I don't care. Go ahead and call me that because it will never be an insult to me. It's just a remainder of the future my parents have made possible through their countless sacrifices. As I've been saying over and over again, I'm proud of where I come from. I'm proud of my parents and all they have accomplished. I am proud to be a Latina and I always will.