My birthday is literally right around the corner, November 6^th to be exact. On that day, I’m turning 20 years old. That means I am no longer considered a young adult or a teenager, since my age no longer ends in “teen”, which is really weird but not the point. The point is that after this day I will hopefully continue to be my cultural norms and the stereotypes that society has placed on my people.

As part of the Latino culture I am defying the odds as to what a Latina should be. I am becoming a stronger and more independent person then what my traditional cultural would try to define me as. Being part of the Mexican culture I shouldn’t even be in college getting a higher education right now. My role as a woman is to be married by now and being a loving an obedient wife to a Mexican man who is allowed to get a higher education, or even get a job to bring income in to the family. Then the word family, which is a big deal. Apparently I am at the age where I am young, fertile, and I should be having kids and so on. However, this is not what I want, and it is not what my mother wants as well.

Growing up she ended up being the cultural norm and doesn’t want me to fall into the same shoe. She would always tell me to be my own person and not to fall in the same hole that she did. These cultural norms also create a stereotype that society has gotten of Latinas. They believe that we will not make it past high school. They think of us as high school drop outs because we don’t feel like it is necessary are falling into the statistics of being sixteen and pregnant. Yet, somehow I beat and will continue to beat what people think of me and my culture.

20 years later and well I am a high school graduate from one of the best high schools in my city. I graduated at the top half of my class and I got into college. Not only was I able to get accepted in to college, but I am still here in my sophomore year proving people wrong. Not only am in college, but I have no kids that I need to attend to, unless you count my three younger sisters back home. Other than that, the only responsibility that have for myself is receive my bachelor’s degree and start a wonderful career so I can be able to give back to my parents for helping me reach this goal in life.

As I look down at my sister, I want them to know that if I was able to prove everyone wrong and be successful life then it is possible for them too. There is no longer a barrier to hold them back or anyone at that. There may still be obstacles that we must overcome, but once you reach that finish line like I did you tell them they were wrong. I am not a high school drop out. I am not a teenage mother. I will not be tied down. I will not let a man stand in the way of my success because society’s stereotypes can no longer hold me back and my cultural norms wont define who I am.

I am a proud 20 year old high school graduate, a current college sophomore, and a strong independent Latina. Have you beaten any cultural norms or stereotypes? After that who have you become?