For me, being a minority in the country I live in gives me a responsibility to help people like myself. Taking Spanish in college is the first thing that I am going to do to help my community. I hope that in the future I will have a job where I can work with other Hispanic people. There are people who live in this country who do not speak English and need translators, but to be able to translate, one needs an education in both languages. There are a lot of us in this country and we need a voice of leadership. Learning in my Spanish class for heritage speakers that there are many of us that are ashamed of, or afraid to show and celebrate our identities, makes me sad because no one should feel that way. I want to see more hispanics with good jobs and the power to make important decisions for their community in government, schools, and hospitals. We have to learn English, but never forget Spanish. We have to show all other cultures that we are similar to them in many aspects, but we also have characteristics that make us unique from other cultures. There is no one as fun as Hispanics, with closer families than Hispanics, or with food as delicious and flavorful as Hispanics. I am very proud to be Spanish and we have to do everything possible so that everyone feels appreciated. In the future, my job will be in medicine, but I also want to contribute to helping all Hispanics have the opportunity to receive a great education because it is the first step toward success. But right now, I’m young and I only want to worry about my family, parties, and my studies.
— Yarden
