At a very young age I remember telling my mom "I wish I wasn't brown" or "Why can't i be light skinned like you?"

I would look at my dad and be mad at him because I thought skin color was a choice. It was almost as if I felt like my dad chose brown for my skin and my mom chose white for my sister's skin. I remember my elementary teachers treating me different because they must have categorized me.

As i grew older I realized that Mexicans were looked down on.The worst was going out and seeing people discriminate against my mother because of her accent. I didn't understand what was going on.

My mom would often tell me that she wished she was tan like me. I thought that she said this because she wanted to make me feel better.

I would use to pretend like i didn't speak spanish. People would ask me if I spoke spanish and I would deny it. I thought that if I didn't speak spanish I would be seen as "better." Once I got into the workforce and saw that spanish was only bad if you looked the part, I realized that I was wrong. So if someone has colored eyes and light skin and they speak spanish, all of a sudden it's cool?

The day I embraced my culture I began to live. The day I applied for the job of my life and the description said "Spanish is a must" I began to live. The day I realized that If you are bilingual in any matter you are worth double I began to live. The point is this, never be ashamed of who you are because you are beautiful. I can say i have some of the most hardworking parents and because of them I am able to live my dream. They sacrificed things for me to be here. The day I went to my first tanning salon I realized that I am as crazy as it gets. Be you and don't let society tell you that you are not worth it.

I am proud of my people. The ones who stand out by the freeways to sell roses while wearing a tejana. The ones who set up taco stands and push the ice cream trucks at the parks. The ones that offer Mariachi at the shore restaurants. The ones that came to the United States to open doors of opportunities for their children. The ones who put their children through college and say " Just focus on graduating." I am a proud Mexican American.