Cesar Ramirez,
Waukee, IA
I feel like I’m navigating my identity. As a Hispanic person born in Iowa to Salvadoran parents, I’ve always felt like I’m stuck between two worlds. My skin is light, so other Latinos often assume I’m not one of them until I speak Spanish. Even then, I’m questioned about how I learned it, as if my heritage needs to be proven. On the other side, non-Hispanics treat me like an outsider, asking stereotypical or offensive questions that reduce my culture to caricatures. These six words capture the feeling of never fully belonging, no matter how much I try to explain or connect.
