Ortega:

Spanglish is an opportunity for those of us that are bilingual to express our genuine and raw thoughts. 

Spanglish is when you don’t have to sit there and think to yourself, “cómo se dice?” When you know the word in one language but can’t remember it in another … the struggle is real. 

Spanish was my first language, but as I learned English and only read and wrote in English in school, it eventually became my primary language. 

Knowing English has brought me many opportunities y estoy agradecida. 

My mother chose to raise me en el norte so that I could have a life she never could, pero vino con muchos sacrificios. 

One of the many sacrifices was the disconnect from our culture.  En México la gente como yo get called pocho/a, a slang term used to describe Mexican-Americans that are deemed not Mexican enough. 

In the U.S we are made to feel like tampoco somos de aqui and will never be considered true Americans. Ni de aquí ni de allá. 

Growing up Hispanic in the U.S is often una batalla interna. You’re one way at home with your family, and different at school and work. Hay gente que se burla de our broken Spanish, broken English, or both. 

The beauty in Spanglish is that we do not have to choose. Pienso en los dos idiomas, and it allows me to connect with others who have had similar struggles in life. 

Spanglish me recuerda que speaking Spanish will always be a part of me, and I fully intend to use it to give back to my community. 

I will use my Spanish to bridge gaps in the Hispanic community, so that ningún otro niño tiene que batallar con la presión de ser el traductor de la familia. 

Speaking Spanish and English is a privilege. Spanglish symbolizes that I do not have to choose between my different identities. I am both. 

I love rock and pop music, pero también me gusta la música norteña y reggaetón. I like donuts, pero prefiero conchas con champurrado. 

Si soy de aquí y también soy de allá y estoy orgullosa de ser Latina.

 

Evangelista:

Ser una persona bilingüe is something beautiful that allows me the opportunity to communicate using both español y inglés con mi familia y amigos. 

I have grown fond of my ability to speak Spanglish, porque yo puedo mezclar los dos idiomas to better articulate my conversations. 

A veces los chistes son más graciosos en español and not so much in English, so cracking jokes with friends is something I always enjoy doing in Spanish. 

Finding friends who enjoy speaking Spanglish is something I cherish porque ellas entienden lo difícil que puede ser hablar two languages. 

There are times when we all struggle to figure out what we are trying to say, y a veces ni en español ni en inglés podemos expresarnos! 

Yo siento que al usar los dos idiomas no olvido mis raíces mexicanas. My family has ingrained in me to be proud of the person I am, and that includes being proud de mi cultura mexicana. 

At home my parents force my siblings and I to communicate in Spanish, and when they catch us speaking in English they tend to say things like “aquí se habla español” y “qué dijiste?” The rule in my household is “español en la casa y inglés en la escuela!”

Nowadays there are many artists and actors who collaborate with each other y crean obras maestras en donde se puede apreciar los dos idiomas. 

Being able to see both languages displayed in the same movie, show and song brings me una sensación de emoción porque al fin siento que hay gente como yo que day-to-day switches from Spanish to English. 

En el futuro, espero que más personas puedan apreciar lo que es hablar Spanglish, porque no es nada fácil being able to navigate both languages at the same time. 

Let us also not forget that while Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized in September and October, los hispanos debemos ser celebrados todo el año porque nuestra cultura es algo hermoso that should be shared with others! 

¡Que viva mi gente latina!