Being Latina is more than "Dora the Explorer" and tacos and tequila, but don’t worry, we do like those things too.

Growing up I had a lot of issues with my heritage. I am a third generation Mexican, and I am only as an adult learning what that truly means. My mom was as white as they come (although she does speak fluent Spanish from living in Florida for a few years), and my dad never really learned Spanish himself due to acculturation. When he was growing up, English was the preferred first language and remains so today.

We never celebrated Dia De Los Muertos or Cinco De Mayo like most Latino families typically do. We ate American food with an American calendar and celebrated holidays in the same way.

With my Mexican group, I was the "white friend," and with my white friends I was the "Latina friend." So, racially I never fully fit into one group, which was fine. I was never ostracized or judged for it.

My race was more of a running joke, which I found humorous as well.

My parents divorced when I was 13, so any ties to the Latino side of things dissolved. Admittedly, my mom is an amazing cook and picked up quite a few Mexican dishes from her mother-in-law prior to the separation, so I have had the exposure and experience of enjoying the benefits of that.

I took a lot of Spanish classes in high school and many in college because I wanted to get more in touch with who I am, not just because they were required. I made sure to continue beyond that. Often, I learned about the music, the history, the clothes, the artists and so much else from school. I had never heard of Selena Quintanilla, but in tenth grade, I was exposed to her music and have been a fan ever since. There is so much of my life that I feel I was robbed of celebrating, but I am changing that now.

I’ve never experienced true racism, thankfully. But this isn’t about that. My goal is to spread awareness and share the story of my childhood and my identity crisis.

Please do not get it confused. I appreciate this country and am thankful for those that have sacrificed, but it would be nice to have my culture recognized for all that it is rather than just what it's advertised to be.