What makes you proud of being a woman but also a Latina ?
Our culture, traditions, history, food, and language all make me proud of being a Chicana. Everything that we are and everything that our culture embodies makes me proud.
Is there someone you look up to?
There are so many people who I look up to but I’ve narrowed it down to 3:
My parents. They are both hard working immigrants who have done their absolute best to give me and my siblings better lives. So many sacrifices and so many struggles without any monetary reward, they simply wanted better for their children. My dad took English classes and he taught himself everything he could to be a gardener/landscaper.
Dolores Huerta/Sal Castro two of the biggest champions of the Chicano civil rights movement. The endless and tireless work that they did and continued to do have helped improve the lives of Chicano and Latino students not only in California but throughout the United States.
Do you feel Latino culture has had a big impact on who you are?
Of course. I grew up in an immigrant family in Los Angeles. I lived in Neighborhoods that were brown and black, but mostly brown. I’ve known nothing else. My taste, likes, and beliefs have been influenced by the Latino culture and environment that I was raised in.
Do you have any current projects you are working on and accomplishments that you would like to talk about?
I have no major projects. I am one semester away from finishing my Masters of Arts in Museum Studies degree. My ultimate goal is to open the first National Museum of the American Latino (working title) .
Do you have any words of advice or encouragement to future generations of all women?
Las mujeres tienen poder. Mas de lo que saben, no tengan miedo de pelear.