“You can’t be Latina,” I would get told at least once weekly. “You’re white.”

Culture is a large part of what creates our identities; it makes us individuals and connects us to the stories of our ancestors' past. I always felt lucky enough to resonate with two cultures.

The trouble with college as a first-generation student is that you’re so aware of the sacrifices of your parents and grandparents because you’ve seen it firsthand. College isn’t simply an option for you – it’s the answer. This pressure is what has pushed me to excel academically; I am aware that this opportunity is a privilege that my parents and grandparents were not as lucky to experience.

“It’s not a piercing pain of losing someone you love, rather a dull ache that lasts for days, weeks, months and even years until it becomes a part of you. My first language, Spanish, is the only one I can use to communicate with my parents, and as it fades from my memory, I also lose my ability to speak with them.” -Osiris Hernandez Monroy

“The warmth of a pastry for breakfast when you are young, is a sweet memory that many would hold close to their heart. My memories of a sweet pastry or bread for breakfast growing up, came from the warmth and presence of pan dulce.”

“‘You know…I was scared to have you.’ My mom says to me.

‘Why?’ I asked.

‘Because I didn’t want you to come out like me.’”

“Here at Cal State Long Beach free speech has recently been a hot topic with the most recent controversial event of police threatening to arrest students on campus who were practicing their First Amendment right to protest on October 29th, 2022. “

“Being biracial always used to be something that felt so weird for me. It has been difficult to really ‘fit’ in on either side, and the most common question is always, ‘What do you feel you are more of?’ Well, I am both Asian and Mexican. “