How are Latinos really supposed to look? Latinos come in different 
colors and sizes. No one knows what a Latino is really supposed to 
look like. For example, I’m a Latina with green eyes and light skin.  
My dad is a Latino with brown eyes and dark skin. Just because a 
person is light or dark doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be a 
certain race. I sometimes get remarks that neither my dad nor I look 
like we’re Latinos. 

Sometimes the issue of being Latino becomes a big deal in school. I 
know how that goes—people aren’t that nice. They think that just 
because they speak better English or look the way they think their 
race is supposed to look, that they’re the best. I think that’s 
wrong. To me everybody is equal, no matter what race or color. 
Teenagers of other nationalities from different places all over the 
world tend to give Latinos a hard time in school. They have no reason 
to treat us differently. Some people say Latinos have a high percent 
of criminal activity, but that’s just a stereotype. Not all Latinos 
are bad. Just like anybody else we have hopes and dreams, and that’s 
no crime. 

Although people wish they were a different race sometimes, they’re 
always going to be what they are. It’s like the saying, “You want 
what you can’t have but when you have it you don’t want it.” There 
are lots of Latinos that do our best and show everybody that we’re 
just the same as them, and we can do anything they can do, maybe even 
better. Well, that’s my personal opinion.

What does it mean to be a Latino to you? There are many different 
answers to that question. I went out and gave a sheet of questions to 
some Latinos and asked them to fill it out. It was great when I got 
them back because there were a lot of answers that were very funny. I 
personally think that the only thing that makes you Latino is 
yourself. Here are some of those questions and answers:

1. What does it mean to be Latino? “Be Mexican, speak Spanish, 
and have lots of pretty girls with pretty eyes after you.”

2. How do you feel about discrimination against Latinos in 
schools? “People who discriminate against Latinos need to get a life 
and find a new job.”
 - Andrew Casillas, 18 years old, Luna Park School, Watsonville.
 
3. Does the street make you Latino? “No, your race does.  The 
streets are for you to drive on.”

4. Do you feel that Latinos get the same treatment from teachers 
of different races? “No, but when we do get teachers that treat 
Latinos different just because they are a different race, I’ve got 
one word, BYE.”
 - Manuel Aguirre, 17 years old, Del Rio High School, Texas. 

5. What responsibilities do you have to your race? “Do well and 
succeed in life so people of other races can see that we’re good too, 
and can succeed.”
 - Alice Esquviel, 15 years old, Del Rio High School, Texas.

6. What do you think is the difference between all races? “Todos 
son iguales.”
 - Veronica Lopez, 20 years old, Watsonville. 

7. To you, what is a Latino supposed to look like? “Extra Crispy—
just kidding. Being Latino has no color, or appearance. It’s all 
about the culture and the Heritage.”
 - Fernando, 19 years old, Watsonville 

8. If you weren’t Latino, what race would you like to be? “Not 
to be mean, but anything but white.”
 - Bianca Garcia, 16 years old, Del Rio High School, Texas

9. How do you feel about other races? “Black people are awsome. 
Latinos ROCK! White people are cool. Everybody is pretty nice.”

10. What do you want people to know about Latinos? “We can do 
anything you can do better!”
 - Crystal Rodriguez, 17 years old, San Antonio High, Texas 


          So you see, Latinos are all DIFFERENT!