Dear Gina,
First and foremost, thank you so much for gracing this world with your presence and your talent. I admire you in more ways than you can imagine. I am writing this letter because I wanted to personally thank you for all the work you have done and continue to do for women like me.Growing up, as a Latina, I struggled to identify with characters on television. The characters I grew up watching on TV were nothing like me. They didn't talk like me, they didn't live in the neighborhoods I grew up in, and they did not look like me. I had to identify with characters that were very different than myself, and that was deterring to a young latina like myself. I was an ESL when I was in elementary school. My mom wanted to make sure I learned Spanish well, so I was in ESL classes until I was in 4th grade. It was a struggle learning the grammar and all the weird kinks of the English language, but reading lots of books helped.My love for writing began in 6th grade. I would keep a reading journal about all the stories and books I would read. One day, I wrote a piece on Anne Frank's Diary. I was honest about what I felt when I read her book. I was honest about the sadness, the pain and the frustration Anne felt. I added my style to the journal entry, and my teacher loved it so much she presented it to the whole class. That was a pivotal point in my life. From that day forward, writing became a part of me. As a teen, it was so important to write about my struggles in my life. I kept a diary, and in it, I would write about my father's alcoholism and how that affected me. It was a great way to release all the emotions I had bottled in. I would write about young love and the heartbreaks that are unavoidable. I would write even about the most insignificant things. I didn't meet many girls that shared the same passion, especially Latinas, like myself. I didn't see Latina characters that loved the stuff I did and that caused me to feel inadequate. It caused me to feel like my passion was nothing more than a hobby.It wasn't until college when I truly embraced writing. I took a few writing courses, but unfortunately, life steered me into a different direction. I didn't pursue writing. The passion and the fulfillment I feel when writing has not changed. I still feel like that 6th-grade girl whose teacher projected her journal entry on the screen.It wasn't until 2014 when I discovered Jane The Virgin that I genuinely found a character that I could identify with. I am a Latina. I am a writer, and even though I still struggle with grammar and style, I decided to identify myself as a writer thanks to Jane. Jane is the character that I needed growing up. Jane looks like me. Jane's family resonates with mine and Jane's passion for writing is a mirror of who I am. I didn't meet many Latinas that shared the same love because we didn't grow up with characters like Jane. We believe we fit into certain molds because the representation of women like us is nonexistent. We are forced into certain stereotypes, and that affects us in our daily lives. I am now a 28-year-old who works in the Event Industry and every chance I get, I write.I just finished an episode of Jane, and I was compelled to write. When one opens up her laptop and begins to stroke the keyboard, and I hear the clicking of the keys, something magical happens. I get an itch to write, and I am so thankful that I am subtly pushed to open my laptop to create beautiful content. Thank You, Gina, for bringing this excellent character to life. Thank you for inspiring young Latinas to follow their dreams and their passions. Thank you for representing a group of women that are underrepresented.
Sincerely,
Tiffany.
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