I was born and raised in The Bronx , NYC. The hardest thing was being a white passing Latina , where my parents wanted me to be as Americanized as possible because of how difficult it was for them growing up, coming from Puerto Rico. Being not “Hispanic “ enough and not “white” enough, constantly in the middle . It caused divides between family and friends as it is perceived as erasure to be Americanized in order to survive the current social climate. I am one of the first in my family to go and graduate college, and for many in my community that is still seen as a luxury.