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" \n Not only was I born a Latina, but I was born a fighter. I didn&amp;#039;t know it right off the bat, but I would learn what it meant to be a Latina, and how the rest of the world saw me. Latinas are branded, I came to learn, at least where I was from, as troubled and uneducated, as a dropout or a girl who got pregnant young. What this meant to me was that Latinas were not in control and rather than letting that perception define me, I used it. That determination to redefine myself was rewarded the day I got my college acceptance letter. This was going to be a gateway to independence, to erasing negative stereotypes and to becoming a role model for the Latina community. As excited as I was, you could say naivety took over. I was met with much resistance. For some reason, I thought college would be a color-blind environment fostering acceptance, growth and diversity but the exit sign seemed pretty promising the first day. My mother always said, &amp;quot;Dios nunca le dar\u00E1 mas que se puede manejar,&amp;quot;; but my roommate definitely had me questioning if I belonged in college.  La gringa, we&amp;#039;ll call her, made her privilege apparent and deemed me a charity case. Yes, I was on a diversity scholarship and without it, I would have not been able to afford college. But, to give you a picture, I was at top tier of my class, was a team captain, joined any and every club I could and entered college with a quality resume while working two jobs. I earned my way. Regardless, in la gringa&amp;#039;s eyes, I was a handout and as much as I tried to keep up with her, I couldn&amp;#039;t. I couldn&amp;#039;t afford clothes at Burberry. I couldn&amp;#039;t and didn&amp;#039;t see the point in spending countless amounts on luxury. But, her words did not hurt as bad until I saw the word &amp;quot;spic&amp;quot; written on my dorm door. She branded me that day, just as everyone had when they heard my last name &amp;quot;Torres&amp;quot; or got the slightest hint that I was Puerto Rican. It was one of the hardest days of my life. Don&amp;#039;t worry, I got a transfer and told her my own two-sense, but my mother&amp;#039;s words &amp;quot;Dios nunca le dar\u00E1 mas que se puede manejar&amp;quot;; came back to my mind and only fueled me to fight. Today, I bought my cap and gown and it was one of the most emotional moments in my life. This moment was the driving force throughout college and looking back, I can attest to how the lack of diversity isolates and discourages Latinas. Don&amp;#039;t let this stop you. The gringa was the first of many roadblocks. In the end, I&amp;#039;m a first-generation Latina college student, a proud one at that, and after tackling the hurdles that come with being a Latina, sharing that moment -- when I grab my diploma on stage \u2013 with my mother will be a moment I&amp;#039;ll never forget. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a4352/latina-like-me-first-generation-college-grad/?click=rel>