However, problems like poverty, crime, and substance abuse were everywhere in the neighborhood. I know now that part of the reason why Latinos and other ethnic minorities suffer from social and psychological problems is that they have been haunted by prejudice. Poverty becomes a vicious cycle, as many Latino parents can't afford to send their children to good schools.

             I was the first person in my family graduate from high school. Determined to rise above the hardship that had plagued my family, I left the comfort of my home for college in Lowell, Massachusetts. Unexpectedly, I experienced prejudice personally for the first time while in college. Amid an atmosphere of political correctness, students would mutter under their breaths comments about different ethnic groups. Asians, Jews, Blacks, and Latinos were stereotyped and labeled. I learned to keep my mouth shut. For the first time I felt I had to actually hide who I was. Although my classmates would say out loud how they hated racism and believed everyone was equal, their words and actions said differently. As the only Latino in many of my freshman classes, I found it difficult to admit I was different. In spite of having darker skin and hair than my classmates, I told them I was white. I wanted to fit in, and I knew that they would treat me differently if I told them I was Puerto Rican. My lie worked; classmates thought I must be European, which in their eyes was better than being Puerto Rican. When I overheard comments about Cubans, Puerto Ricans, or Mexicans, I kept quiet, too shy to speak up for myself and unable to challenge their beliefs. I was outnumbered, and I was definitely out of my element.

             All that would change when the following year I met several Latino classmates. I was no longer alone. Befriending them, I was able to regain pride in my family background. Unlike me, they were proud of being Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Mexican.