Honoring my Latina Identity on National Latina Day

National Latina Day is a moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate the beauty of our cultura and the power of our voices. For me, this day is a reminder of the journey it took to fully embrace my Latina identity, a path filled with struggle, discovery, healing, and purpose.

As a first-generation Mexican American, I often felt caught between two worlds. Growing up, I didn’t feel like I belonged to either culture fully, so I learned to assimilate. I camouflaged the parts of me that felt “too different,” hoping it would help me fit in. But hiding my authentic self left me feeling disconnected from my roots.

It wasn’t until my corporate career with Michaels Arts and Crafts that I began to reconnect with my latinidad. In 2019, I became a founding leader of HACER, Michaels’ first Hispanic/Latine employee resource group. With a team of passionate leaders, we curated events, researched and highlighted cultural holidays, and created space for authentic representation of Hispanic/Latine voices. For the first time, I felt like I was reclaiming pieces of myself that I had tucked away.

In September 2022, I had the honor of being featured as an Artist/Maker on the Viva Tu Heritage fixture, which appeared in over 1,200 Michaels stores nationwide. As the lead product designer, I helped curate the company’s first-ever Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month in-store assortment. I had contributed to Día de los Muertos designs in 2020 and 2021, but this project was different, it felt like a collective celebration of our community’s heritage and creativity. It was one of my proudest corporate achievements, and yet, behind the success, I was silently struggling.

Like so many mujeres, I was carrying the weight of perfectionism, burnout, and the pressures of balancing work, motherhood, and survival in a global pandemic. I was running on empty, disconnected from my body, and drowning in anxiety. Eventually, I gave myself permission to pause. I entered a cocoon season, a sacred space of rest, therapy, and deep introspection.

It was in that stillness that I reconnected to my Inner Mija, the creative, curious, resilient part of me that had always been there, waiting for me to listen. She reminded me of the mujeres in my lineage who crafted with their hands, turning creativity into both survival and self-expression. She reminded me that I am worthy, not because of my productivity or achievements, but simply because of who I am.

From this transformation, Soleil Vida Studio was born. A space to nurture creativity, honor cultura, and support mujeres on their own inner GLOW up journeys.

On this National Latina Day, I celebrate not only my own story but the collective story of Latinas everywhere, mujeres who carry resilience, artistry, and generational strength within them. May this day remind you to honor your roots, embrace your voice, and nurture your own Inner Mija.

Because we are not just surviving. We are glowing, creating, and transforming. ✨

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