Intellectually Entertaining. Socially Relevant.
Born in Flushing, Queens to Colombian parents, Cindy has always loved reading and writing. For this reason, she entered Montclair State University to pursue an English degree, but instead fell in love with and graduated with a B.A. in Psychology. During her time at Montclair State, Cindy joined the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) on campus. She immediately felt comfortable surrounded by peers that shared both love and pride for the Latino culture, something she had never experienced before. She ultimately became president of LASO. Since then, Cindy has earned her M.S. Ed. in Early Childhood Special Education from Bank Street College, and works as a bilingual Special Education preschool teacher in Brooklyn. Despite feeling exhausted by the time she reaches her New Jersey home, she still uses her spare time to write. Joining the Being Latino family is one of the best things that has happened to Cindy because it fulfills her in two ways: She can write to her heart’s content while reaching an engaging audience, and it helps her stay connected to her Latino culture. You can find more of Cindy’s writing on her personal blogs: Dagny’s Dichotomy, and Cindy’s Chronicles.
Announcing our new partnership with Los Afro -Latinos! Los Afro-Latinos will provide us with a monthly series that will highlight Afro-Latinos and their experiences within the broader Latino community. Read on for a taste of what’s to come: So, you want to make a documentary film. Should be pretty easy, right? Just grab your camera, shoot, Read More
The Ecuadorian national anthem is called “Salve, O Patria!”, or “We Salute You, Our Homeland!” The lyrics were written in 1865 by the poet Juan Leon Mera under the request of the Ecuadorian Senate. A year later, the lyrics were sent to Guayaquil so that they could be put to music by composer Antonio Neumane. Read More
Book of the Month Join us as we delve into July’s Book of the Month: When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago. Esmeralda’s essays and opinion pieces have appeared in numerous publications, such as The New York Times and The Boston Globe. Along with a novel and a children’s book, she has written three Read More
Story Behind the Anthem The national anthem of the Dominican Republic, sometimes called Quisqueyanos Valientes, was composed by José Reyes in 1883 after he read a published copy of the Argentine national anthem. He thought his country should also have an anthem, so he asked his friend Emilio Prud’homme to write the lyrics. It was Read More
Story Behind the Anthem The Cuban national anthem was written by Pedro “Perucho” Figueredo, a general in the Ten Year War, in the dawn of August 14, 1867. The music was composed by Manuel Muñoz Cedeño on May 8, 1868. It is known as Himno de Bayamo or La Bayamesa because it was first Read More
Book of the Month Join us as we explore the work of Latino authors together, both old and new! The Book of the Month for June is The Death of Artemio Cruz by the late author Carlos Fuentes, one of the most admired writers in the Spanish-speaking world. Along with Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa Read More
What do you think of when you hear the name Pablo Escobar? Probably the usual: Colombian drug lord, cocaine kingpin, ruthless killer. Some of us have heard the name, but don’t know much about his life, while others know exactly who he was and what he did. But, the story of those who confronted him Read More
Story Behind the Anthem The story of the Costa Rican national anthem is an interesting one. In 1852, the diplomatic representatives of the United States and the United Kingdom were to arrive, and the president of Costa Rica at the time, Juan Rafael Mora Porras, wanted to receive them with the national anthem. However, Costa Read More
Spanish is our language, but not all Spanish is created equal. Depending on what Spanish-speaking country you’re in, some words have different meanings. If you’re not careful, you could find yourself saying something very different from what you intended to say. Here are a few possible scenarios that you should try to avoid: Let’s say you’re Read More
Mi Vida Latina Fifteen years old and I was still a stick. “I thought Latinas were supposed to be curvy,” I’d reproach myself while looking in the mirror. Every day I’d scrutinize my body, but saw no change. My chest was as small as ever – two miniature pears. Not the round melons they were Read More