As Christmas quickly rolls around the corner, I began to think about what it really means to me. I grew up thinking that it was all about the gifts and family because we all spent it together. But, as I continued to grow up, I realized that it wasn't about what people got me, but instead, who I spent the holidays with.

Now that I'm in college, I have grown to believe that I do not need anything materialistic from someone, but instead just their love and care. Being away from my family for college has been somewhat difficult. I expected to get through this semester easily, but so many things happened that sometimes all I wanted to do was to go home.

I'm so happy that although many negative things have happened this year, I am spending Christmas with the best people I know, my family. I'm so thankful for all the hard work my parents have gone through just to get me through my first semester of college. My mom's long and sleepless nights at work just to make extra money. My dad's short but very wise words of encouragement to keep going and not give up. My oldest sister's wise words to not let anyone break me down. And last, my older sister's forceful, but surprisingly, motivational phrases that remind me I'm here for my family.

Statistics on Latinas:

• Graduation rates for Latinas were at 31.3 percent in 2008, still significantly lower than graduation rates for white women, at 45.8 percent.
• Latinas hold only 7.4 percent of the degrees earned by women, though they constituted 16 percent of the female population in 2012.
• In 2012, the poverty rate for Latina women overall was 27.9 percent, compared with the rate for non-Hispanic white women at 10.8 percent.
• Over the past decade, the Hispanic high school dropout rate has dropped dramatically. The rate reached a new low in 2014, dropping from 32% in 2000 to 12% in 2014 among those ages 18 to 24.
• That amounted to 2.3 million Hispanic college students in 2014.
• Even though more Hispanics are getting a postsecondary education than ever before, Hispanics still lag other groups in obtaining a four-year degree.

According to the statistics above, and many others, I shouldn’t even be in college because I am a Latina. In high school, I remember learning about stereotypes and stats I faced just because I was a minority. I was not supposed to be in college because my family can’t afford it. At my age, I should have had a kid or more and have dropped out of high school because of it. I’m overturning the stereotypes and stats to show that I am not just any other statistic. I am someone who overcame them and I want to show other people that are like me that they can too.

I won’t let statistics define the type of person I want to become. I will graduate from college and I will show that I am capable of doing anything that I set my mind and heart too. For anyone who is part of a negative statistic, no matter where you come from, you can overcome all the obstacles.

Latinas in the U.S.

Pew Research on Latino Education