“What Being a Latino/a in America Means to Me.”

Latinos are the largest minority group inside of the United States. Views towards us usually include common mistakes and misunderstandings. Because of stereotypes and stories that appear on network newscasts, people relate crime, poverty, welfare, illegal immigration, and the uneducated or undereducated to Latinos. Several states such as Alabama and Georgia have also created extreme anti-immigrant laws because they think that we are stealing jobs and draining the system.

What many do not know is that more young Latinos are finishing high school, which means that more are choosing to attend college. The amount enrolling in college is actually outpacing our growth in the national population.

From 2009 to 2010, the amount of Latinos enrolled in college increased by 24%. The number of young adult Latinos increased by 349,000, while the amount of young whites actually decreased by 320,000. Although more Latinos are enrolling in colleges, the number of Latinos completing a bachelor’s degree is still low. The low college completion rate partly reflects the lower schooling levels of Latino immigrants (according to Pew Research Center).

What does all of this mean to me? This means that I will do my best to bridge the gap between whites, other races, and Latinos, and make every effort to show them that our union will be even stronger with our full participation. It is my time to disprove all of those stereotypes and stories about Latinos. I want to prove that I am educated, that I can finish my bachelor’s degree, and that I can be successful. We Latinos may be a minority, but our contributions to the United States will continue to rise. Some states may find us to be a nuisance, but they do not realize how much stronger the country could be.

Personally, I am very proud to be a Latina in America, especially when I can say that my grandfather