In light of it currently being Hispanic Heritage Month and taking into account my vested interest in my own Puerto Rican heritage, I think it’s beneficial to discuss a plight unique to Latino culture- one that not only affects myself, but millions of other 18-24 year old female young adults throughout the United States.

Getting into and graduating from college as a Latina is almost a one in a million shot.

According to the United States Census Bureau, there are officially 311,536,594 Latinos living in the United States. As of 2011, both male and female Hispanics between the ages of 18-24 made up 16.5 percent of enrolled college students. Today in 2015, let’s for argument’s sake round that number up to an even 20 percent. Of this possible 1/5 of college students in the United States, NBC Newsstates that as of 2014, only 9 percent of those Latinos enrolled graduate. 9 percent. Nine. N-i-n-e percent. That’s it out of 311.5 million people in the United States, only 87,245,130 of which are of college-level age. Keep in mind that this still does not take into account the male to female ratio of Hispanic students in the U.S. .

I looked long and hard online to see information regarding the rates of exclusively Latina college enrollment and retention--go ahead, Google it. What do you find? Nothing.

I find this blatant nothing-ness in terms of accessible information an accurate expression of the virtually non-existent presence of females of Latin descent on our college campuses. There are so few of us. Part of this lack of numbers has to do with the origins of our ancestry, which have given way to the social-economic situations through which we find ourselves unable to attend university.

Many of our parents and grandparents came to the states from impoverished areas without extensive educational backgrounds, which in turn resulted in blue collar work or even poverty, which are not the best breeding grounds to send your children to two, or even four year institutions. It's hard--learning the language, immigration, and sometimes even cultural assimilation all have a hand in stabilizing the Latin presence in the U.S., but it takes time. Being a first-generation born American who attends high school is a milestone in any Latino family, but to reach American standards, it’s simply not enough. Youneed higher education. I come from a family in which my mother was the first to attend college. As a Latina, that’s pretty unlikely. Now a second-generation college student, I see and understand the struggles my mom must have faced in her schooling that I still face, and many of my hermanas face, more than 20 years after my mom's graduation.

Being a member of the traditionally “lesser-viewed” sex has its challenges. We read about it online, see it in the news, and have heard Feminist dialogue pouring through the media. We have to fight the negative “stereotypical girl” stigma and one of the best ways to do it is with education. For Latinas, it’s not only fighting that mentality, but also the “homebody mamita” stereotype that exists for women of Latin origins. Access to education is significantly limited to the Latina minority. If we get to college, it’s a miracle.

I have always been the “token Latina” in all of my classes. I am the only one in one of my two majors, and often in many of the clubs I’m involved in. Going to St. John’s University, one of the most diverse schools in the country located in New York City, which has the greatest Puerto Rican population in the nation, doesn’t change the fact that myself and any other Latina that I see on campus are sadly considered the “exception”. We aren’t even guaranteed to be part of that graduating 9%--this includes boys. Compare the low numbers for male: female college entrance rates to the even lower Latino: Non- Latino college entrances rates, and us mujeres are looking at maybe a 3-4 percent graduation rate right now, at best. Perhaps 4 percent of us out of 300 million here will graduate. Of course, things like finances, family situations, and especially the pressure of being one of few Latinas in class might, unfortunately, pull some of us off track.

However, for those of us that are here, it’s because we’ve taken all the variables that could block the pathways towards our success, recognized them, analyzed them and said, “Hey, I would rather be one of few and fight for it, than one of none”. Part of being the token Latina in school is coming and showing everyone else why you’re here--that you deserve to be going to college and you should be here because you’ve worked hard and made the grades. We may be seen as a stereotype, but we are anything but. We span across all majors and interests, have so may different talents- we take the hard work and dedication that our families used to bring us up, and use it as inspiration to achieve our own goals. It’s part of la fuerza that we Latinas inherently have: We’re feisty, fiery, and altogether determined to make a name for ourselves, our heritage, and our individual cultures. We represent not only ourselves but our people when we walk through those doors. That’s a lot of people we don’t want to let down.

Part of our small population at school, of course, also has to do with immigration law and reform, prejudice racism and sexism. These are things that as a Latino community, male and female alike, we are looking to combat and overcome. But this Latino Heritage Month, I just want to recognize all those young ladies enduring the politically incorrect inquires, the inappropriate stares, the negative opinions, who get themselves up out of bed every morning, grab the café con leche, and hit the books:

I am proud of you, your families are proud of you;

our culture is so, so proud of you.

Pa’lante