What Does Being Hispanic/Latin@ Mean to You?
Opinions from students, faculty, staff and members of the community

"First and foremost, Latin@ to me signifies and clearly defines the word familia. More than any other culture, we hold true to our identities, our values, and above all our familia. Aside from familia, to me being Latin@ also means being a part of such a long, diverse history of culture, tradition, and orgullo (pride)…to be able to use that pride as a positive energy source to accomplish anything."
Armando Flores, student, International Business Administration

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"To me being Latin@ means so much more than how I look, how I dress, and how I act. To me being Latin@ is the orgullo that I have in myself and in my culture. When I look into the mirror I see all those that have came before me, and I also see all those that will come long after I pass. I also feel that I have instilled in myself the desire and dedication to give back to mi gente. We as Latin@s need to give back to our communities and help others to succeed. We owe it to ourselves to help our gente rise up."
Erica Lerma, student, Human Development and Family Science, Internal Vice President Alpha Psi Lambda

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"When I fled Cuba at the age of 12 in 1962 and came to the United States, I left my family and came with only the clothes on my back and not a single penny to my name. The Cuban government had stripped me of my citizenship; however, they never took the love and the memories that I carried ingrained in my heart as a young child, the memories of a sky and an ocean, blue as a sapphire and of the clouds, the sunsets, and the full moon, which were like a beacon that would light my path for almost 43 years. I was a Cubana without a country, but the shores of this country would become my "otra patria."
I came to understand the hardship of learning who I was.....I was Cubana. When I was at camps, later in an orphanage, and then in foster homes, I was told to stop crying and to forget Cuba. I just buried my face in my pillow and allowed the tears to flow silently. Then I learned to love this country, teaching and understanding others, and letting people know that the blood that runs through my veins will always clamor "Yo soy cubana." Later, as I became a U.S. citizen and so grateful for everything this country has done for me, I became a Cuban-American. I also learned through the years that the tears I shed in childhood and the suffering I endured were endured by my brothers and sisters of other cultures...tears have no ethnic identification. It was this passion that drew me to the position I have held for almost 28 years as Coordinator of Hispanic Student Services where I have strived to bring an understanding and sympathy to students who feel alienated and who are trying to find their own cultural identity. If you ask me how I would want to be called, please call me what drives my passion, what makes my heart beat faster when I look at the night sky and remember "la luna llena de La Habana." Call me Cubana!"
Carmen Alvarez-Breckenridge, Coordinator, Hispanic Student Services, The Multicultural Center

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"Today there are so many different interpretations of what being Hispanic is, or should be, but to me the most vital parts of being Hispanic are: the preservation of my native language, the preservation of my traditions, and the exposure of my background for others who may be clueless (yet interested) about it. I think a person is incomplete without having a fair knowledge about where they came from, of who they are.
To me, being Hispanic has always meant being loyal to the American flag, yet appreciative of my native land. This appreciation, I believe, only came through my participation in customs, my attentiveness to Mexican legends and folktales, and the powerful and passionate rhythms only mariachi music can convey.
Understanding lyrics, stories and customs through the purity of the mother tongue is never the same as understanding them through cold, heartless translation. This is why language is important. It makes everything one hundred times more meaningful.
These are the things that make me Hispanic and I absolutely love my culture and language. Now that I'm at Ohio State I notice that the interest about who we are is huge, so I urge for all of us Hispanics to carry this title with pride, to always hold on to our roots, and to share them willingly with others."
Adriana Mancillas, student, Science and Technology Exploration

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"Latin@/Hispanic represents a culture which is an amalgam of Spanish Colonial traditions mixed together with the local traditions of those native to the lands of America. Each Latin American country has its own national "flavor" spiced by the mixing of Spanish Colonialism together with the rich regional cultures present in those areas. For Hispanics, the "common" is Spanish Colonialism. The "different" are the regional influences assimilated into that culture."
Jose Garabis, Senior Systems Manager, Office of Academic Affairs

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"To be Latin@…I was asked to write a small article on what being a Latin@ means to me. Suddenly my mind wandered to our history.
I thought not of my childhood being born to a Puerto Rican couple in the Bronx or when I was growing up on a small farm in Puerto Rico, but to the time before Christopher Columbus arrived to the Americas.
I went to the image of very advanced cultures living attuned to nature and their neighbors. I thought of cultures with great knowledge of the heavens and earth, science and art, the spiritual and the physical.
Then I thought of the peaceful reception offered to the Europeans and the betrayal suffered by our ancestors. I thought of the struggles and fight to survive disease, slavery and war. The voice of the spirits of Taínos like Agüeybana and Yuisa and their call for defending what is ours still resounding through the mountains of my beloved island.
Then I feel proud to have Taíno blood, Latin@ blood running through my veins. I am proud of having survived the adversity that life had reserved for me, though not as harsh as those survived by my predecessors, but reminiscent of our history of struggle.
To me being Latin@ is a synonym of strength, passion and faith. Strength: because we have survived centuries of abuse without losing our dreams. Passion: because the flame of our hearts adds flavor to our lives. Faith: not necessarily in a higher power, but faith in our heritage, that our people will achieve peace and political freedom and stability. And that some day we will stand tall and will be able to say with pride "our wine is sour but it is our wine."
Noe Tirado-Muñiz, DMV, DVM, MS Clinical Associate, University Laboratory Animal Resources

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"I am Latin@. For me, this is a way of denoting those of us who share some common heritage through the colonial enterprises of Spain and Portugal. But this term paints with too broad a stroke to shape my personal identity and my view of the world and where I fit in it. My personal identity, undoubtedly Chicana, derives from social, cultural, and historical experiences that are more specific. In my South Texas Mexican-American community, life was organized around the Catholic Church and my extended family. My identity was also shaped by the many contradictions of being an outsider in my own land. My ancestors were in Texas long before the United States incorporated it, yet the 'Anglos' (as Whites are called in Texas) still refer to us as Mexicans and foreigners, not Americans. I left Texas some 15 years ago and my ideas about what it is to be Chicana remain fluid, changing as the world around me changes."
Yolanda Zepeda, Assistant Director, Graduate Education and Diversity, Committee on Institutional Cooperation

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"To me being a Hispanic/Latin@ means that where I grew up (Puerto Rico), the language spoken originated from Latin, my culture is very rich, colorful and warm, and the food is the best."
Mariela Oyola, graduate student, Chemistry

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"I was born in El Salvador and came to the United States for my graduate studies. At that time I was not aware of how culturally different I was. But soon I started to see that my background makes me think and see the world in a different way. There are important cultural differences; our roots are behind in our home country and no matter how happy we are in the United States, they will always influence us in a major way. We have deep family ties and moral values based on our Catholic beliefs. We have a strong sense of friendship and loyalty."
José Castro, Professor, Industrial Welding and Systems Engineering

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"Like many people, my identity of being Latin@ has evolved and being third generation is an important aspect of that. I recall the process of assimilation that accompanies being Latin@ in a small town in Ohio. I didn't grow up speaking Spanish, so my experience of being Latin@ is not defined by being part of a language group. Rather, it is defined by recognizing a history of oppression and racism and the desire to be part of changing all that in the future. I'm defined by my parents and grandparents, whose relationship with Mexico and particularly with the southwest and eventually with Toledo, Ohio, is part of a whole history of a movement of seeking a life in the United States that promises equality and social justice; I want to be part of that movement, across space and across time. Being Latin@ also means, in the context of education, being an advocate for Latin@ students whose voices continue to be silenced. Kids really struggle in classrooms because there are very few Latin@ Scholars in education and in the State of Ohio… It is very important that I see myself as an advocate and act as an advocate on behalf of Latin@ children in Ohio Schools."
Patricia Enciso, Associate Professor, School of Teaching and Learning

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"There is no doubt that the Latin@ community in Columbus has grown very fast in the last decade. This means that we have to help an increasing number of young Latin@s to succeed in their efforts to come to OSU and be successful in our university and in their lives. It will take a tremendous amount of energy to reach them and provide them with effective tutoring and mentoring programs. We know that Latin@s love sports and arts. Let us create teams where high school students can mix with OSU students to practice soccer or basketball or Latin@ dances on a regular basis. To achieve this, we, the Latin@s at OSU, need to organize ourselves more effectively so we can know the young members of our community and guide them to the road of success. They deserve it."
Raúl Herrera, Associate Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Geodetic Science

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"Since I was born in Texas but raised in Mexico, this question presents several problems. Trying to define what it means to me to be Hispanic or Latin@ is a question I have asked myself all my life and in a few paragraphs I will try to arrive at a satisfactory answer. Also, these problems have only grown after I've lived in Georgia and now teach Spanish Peninsular Literature and Culture at Ohio State.
It's important to understand that although I was born in the United States, the fact that I was raised in Mexico makes me a Mexican. However, the fact that I went to college in the United States that I have voted in the last five elections and that now I have lived away from Mexico for about six years makes me an American. So I guess I'm Mexican-American, which means that I have a little bit of both Mexico and the United States in me. However, whenever I visit Spain I feel at home and I know quite a lot about its people and its culture. I wonder, therefore, whether Hispanic or Latin@ would be a better term for who I am, since I do not believe that an identity is defined in national/political terms but in cultural practices that are circumscribed to language use, food and traditions.
First of all, my first language is Spanish but I do not speak the language the way I used to. People are always telling me that I do not speak like other Mexicans they know. Even my own relatives say that sometimesI speak either like an American speaking Spanish or like a Spaniard since I use many expressions and sayings from Spain (more than from Mexico). For the past six years English has become the language I use on a daily basis. I speak to many of my friends in English and I find myself forgetting words in Spanish when I speak to my family. However, I am not completely an American. Although I do not have a native Spanish-speaker accent when I speak English, I sometimes make mistakes when using American expressions or when I pronounce certain words. For instance, I have been made fun of for saying "nose trails" instead of "nostrils," I love watching TV with captions and I never enjoy Karaoke because I do not know many of the songs. I'm neither a Spaniard since I do not pronounce my "c" or "z" with a sound similar to the "th" in English, but some people in the Canary Islands and Andalucía do not do it either, and I grew up listening to many Spanish singers and groups. So, sometimes I wonder if I'm actually an American-Spanish-Mexican.
Second, I'm truly Puritan when it comes to Mexican food. Please don't tell me that chimichangas and fajitas are "Authentic Mexican food" because they are not. They are Tex-Mex or even from New Mexico, and they are fine, but they are not Mexican. My favorite Mexican dishes are "Mole Poblano" and "Chiles en nogada." However, these are not popular dishes from the part of Mexico my family is from (Chihuahua). I once called my mother and asked her for the recipe of the "nogada" (a cheese and walnut sauce) and she didn't know how to make it. I then asked her "¿Qué tipo de mexicana eres? (What kind of Mexican are you?)," and she said "¡Soy norteña! (I'm from the north!)." I realized then that the five years I spent in Georgia made me a very different kind of Mexican. I crave foods I didn't use to eat when I was growing up, and I wonder if it has to do with the fact that I feel displaced from Mexico. The distance has also Americanized me. I have stopped eating hot/spicy foods, I don't eat tortillas with every meal, and margaritas have become one of my favorite drinks. I also eat more pizza, meatloaf and hamburgers than I ever did. The fact that I do not eat Mexican food all the time has made me a different kind of Mexican. I'll try all kinds of food, except those with cilantro or cumin since I cannot stand those spices (which makes a lot of people wonder if I'm truly Mexican), but many do not understand that not ALL Mexican food is made with them. Being a Spanish Peninsularist has also made me aware of Spanish food. I make a wonderful "Spanish tortilla," "patatas bravas," and a delicious "empanada gallega," to name a few. I do crave "pimientos de piquillo" and "pimientos de Padrón," along with "trufas" and "crema catalá." So I guess my tastes have changed with time and I wonder if I should be called then Mexican-Spanish-American.
Third, traditions are a big part of all cultures. I have broken with many Mexican traditions. I no longer live at home and do not plan on going back, but I didn't leave my parents' home until I was 29 years old (even when I went to college I did it by crossing the Mexico-U.S.A. border every day). I'm old enough to be married and have kids, but I'm not really interested in either one. I'm the only woman in my family (immediate and extended) that has pursued a Ph.D., that has traveled to other countries, and that doesn't consider that being married or having children is the only option for a woman. However, I hope that I can one day meet someone who can understand that I'm both Mexican and American (and a little bit Spanish), that I speak English and Spanish (and Gallego), that I love Mexican food but that's not all I like to eat, and that I would like my children to keep my last name and be named Ian or Brianna. I have also incorporated new traditions into my life. My new favorite celebrations are Halloween (I love pumpkin-carving) and Thanksgiving (I make a wonderful turkey), and what I love the most about them is that I have a new family (my friends) to celebrate them with. I also enjoy the Spanish celebrations for the "Día de San Juan," I enjoy drinking a "clara" on a hot summer day and eating good "tapas" with a nice glass of wine, and I hope to one day own a house in Spain, which I guess will then make me Spanish-American-Mexican.
There is not a simple answer to: What does being Hispanic/Latin@ mean to you? To me, it means being multilingual and multicultural. It means to understand three (or more) groups of people and to be a part of them. To me, being who I am means to be the embodiment of the Mexico-United States border with some splashes of Spain. People can call me Hispanic or Latin@, I do not really have a preference; I just like to call myself: Mexican-American-Spanish (in that order)."
Eugenia Romero, Assistant Professor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese

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"Being a Hispanic/Latin@ means belonging to a group that despite its diversity and multiple differences, has many things in common which I value. Some examples of things that I value in the Latin@ culture are: the rich Spanish language; the strong family ties and the important role of the family (immediate and extended) throughout a person's life stages; the rich variety of music, food, art, architecture, etc. All of these are important elements that cut across national socio-economic and racial differences.
Being Hispanic/Latin@ also means that I am aware and proud of the many contributions Latin Americans have made and are making in all aspects of human activity; for example, there are many Nobel Prize winners from Latin America.
Being Hispanic/Latin@ has also come to mean that I am part of a group which faces many challenges as it struggles to be recognized as a meaningful contributor to U.S. society.
When I first came to the United States, I saw myself as an Ecuadorian and wanted to make sure that my identity was separate from those of other Latin American nationalities; however, as I became assimilated into this society, I learned of the realities many Latin@s face in the United States, particularly those who are second, third, or fourth generation Latin@s and live in adverse conditions and face real challenges in terms of lack of identity, lack of opportunities to have a decent education, under-employment, etc. Becoming aware of these realities has motivated me to invest some of my time and energies to work with organizations at various levels to focus resources and energies to recognize these issues and to try to correct them."
Victor Mora, Associate Director, Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience

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"Dulce de Leche, that's what it means to me to be Latin@. Take something plain and ordinary and heat it up. Stir some azucar into the milk and watch the sweetness form. Simple and yet this caramel, this soft cream, is like no other. But keep a careful watch! As I simmer under a low flame and you think you've got me under control, mastered my recipe, this Latin@ will add some spice, a little canela to your palate to keep you guessing. Dulce de Leche, traditional but unique; Latin@, different and forever evolving, an eternal challenge to my connoisseurs and my critics."
Claudia E. Cruz, student, Dominican-American from New York City, First Year Law Student