Selena.

Who came to mind when you read that name? Was it Selena Gomez or the Tejano music sensation? Most people today, associate the name with the rising TV and music star Selena Gomez, but if you're from the South, y'all know I was talking about Selena Quintanilla-Perez.

Born April 16,1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas, Selena was the youngest of three. Her father saw her potential at the age of six, and started the band "Selena Y Los Dinos" with her siblings, A.B. and Suzette. She pushed through barriers in the music industry and gained popularity quickly. Sadly, she was just 23 years old when she was taken from this world by her fan club president, Yolanda Saldivar, on March 31, 1995. This year marked the 20th anniversary of her death.

Now, I am 22 years old, and I have been a fan of hers since I can remember. I used to beg my mom to put on the Selena tape so that I could give them a show. I would run to my room, put on my little bedazzled bra, black jeans, grab a hair brush to use as a mic and sing-along to the WHOLE tape. Growing up, I would read and watch interviews about her and her family, her music videos and the "Selena" movie. I wanted to be as ambitious as she was. Yes, sometimes I do get a lot of judgement for how much I love Selena, but she was, and still is, an inspiration to me and many young girls.

Like me, Selena was once just a little Mexican-American girl growing up in Texas. She experienced a lot of the same things that I went through as a kid and young adult. Things like stumbling over Spanish words because schools put more importance on English and being told I’m not Mexican or American enough for either country. But the thing about Selena was that she never let any of these obstacles stop her. She had a goal and a voice that she wanted to share with the people of both cultures and she worked hard and she made it big! She was the first young woman to bridge the gap between Mexican and American music.

She entered the music industry knowing that it wasn't going to be easy and showed the world that people don’t need to understand the words to understand the emotion a song is trying to convey. She worked hard and was determined to have her dreams come true.

To me, she is the inspiration to achieve my goals.

To me, she is everything I have been striving to be since I first heard her songs played in my family room when I was a little girl.

To me, Selena is the personification of my determination to make my dreams come true.

Her Look:

Selena was smiling all the time, in many interviews you can see her laughing and joking around with everyone. She was easy to get along with.

Her look was out of this world, with bright red lipstick, hoop earrings, sparkly bustiers and high-waist jeans. Her father was not very supportive of the costumes she wore at first, but slowly they grew on him, and later became Selena's signature look. Many celebrities today are still inspired by Selena's look. From Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, and even Katy Perry have been spotted rocking the infamous studded bustier.

It is said that when she wasn't on the stage performing, she was sitting in the back of her tour bus, sewing and bedazzling a costume for her next show. We can see that her sense of style has inspired many, there are also little girls dressing as Selena today.

This past April, there was a festival called "Selena Fiesta de La Flor" held in Corpus Christi, Texas, put on by her family and other artists to celebrate the the late artist's life. At this festival, you could see the different outfits women were trying to exhibit to show their love for Selena by how they would dress.

Young girls and women of all ages were dressing as she once did. You know that famous purple jump suit that she wore at her last concert, shown in the featured image? There are even people who have tried to replicate it.

On July 16, MAC announced that it will be creating a MAC Selena makeup line in 2016. HOW EXCITING! Fans all over the world, were showing their support by signing a petition that had 37,772 supporters, and it happened. The Quintanilla family has been ecstatic about the news, and has been sharing it all over their social media accounts.

Her Music:

We also know that her music was very distinct, singing in a male dominant genre, she knew she had to put on her big girl pants and show the world that she could tear down those barriers. And that is exactly what she did! By incorporating R&B, techno and Latin flows with her Tejano she made her music unique.

She won multiple music awards, and was taking the music world by storm. She was working on her cross-over album when she died. To this day, you hear her music getting blasted everywhere. Whether you're at home cleaning on a Sabado (Saturday), you're on your way to school or you're at the club dancing, when "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" comes on, you tell your friend to hold your drink because you're about to do "The Washing Machine". GIRL, WORK!

This is what her music does to you, it makes you happy, it makes you want to get up and dance. Her music is special, it brings many people together.

Her Legacy:

On April 12, 1995, two weeks after her death, George W. Bush, governor of Texas at the time, declared April 16 (Selena's Birthday) "Selena Day."

So you see, there are many reasons why I love her and everything she was able to teach me even though she is gone. Her legacy will continue to live on, and I will always do my best to live the life that she has inspired me to live. As the quote from the Selena movie says, "Anything for Selenas."

She is more than a singer or a fashion designer or a young Mexican-American woman who was taken from this world too soon. She was such a beautiful person inside and out, always willing to help her community and inspire her fans. Heaven gained an angel when the world lost Selena. Rest easy, you're still loved.

As A.B. Quintanilla says, "Selena Quintanilla, forever, we love you and I miss you.