A Love Letter to Every Young Latina Who Doesn’t Know She’s Next

Have you ever felt like you did not belong because you were too loud, too brown, or too young? If so, this is for you because the future is not waiting for you; it is being designed by you.

You are the girl dreaming about changing the world… but telling yourself just not yet. You have big ideas, a big heart, and a vision that feels bigger than yourself, but it still feels like you have to wait. 

I see the way you question yourself before you even speak.
I see the way you shrink just enough to fit into rooms that were never built with you in mind.
I see the way you wonder if you’re “too much” before you even give yourself the chance to be enough.

I see the way you watch everyone around checking if you are doing it right.

I understand because I was you. 

I have walked into rooms where no one looked like me, where I was the youngest, least experienced, and the one no one took seriously. I have been in environments where I was the only brown girl, surrounded by people who looked different, talked differently, and acted differently from me. 

And in those moments I told myself what you are probably telling yourself too, like

I’m not ready.

I am not good enough.

I do not belong here. 

But there is an important truth no one told me and I had to learn on my own—you do not have to wait to become the leader you were created to be.

The Years of Self Doubt Are Not Wasted

There were moments where I felt like I had to prove myself to everyone. It was a pressure that came not just from the outside world but also from within. I come from a family of strong Latinos. Hardworking people who came from nothing but built something to give me everything. They sacrificed so I could have the opportunities they never had. So I could reach for the stars and they not feel so far away. And because of that, I felt that it was my responsibility to do something, not just because I owe it to myself but because I owe it to them. 

Furthermore, I also felt I had to prove myself to all of the people who assumed I was incapable. Those who saw my age, my color, my last name,and doubted me before even knowing me or giving me a chance. 

So, instead of giving up or letting them win, I worked harder, pushed myself further, and refused to let mine and others’ doubt define me. 

Looking back now:

Those years of doubt and feeling out of place shaped me. They were preparing me for the tough reality that not everyone will support me or think I deserve a certain role, recognition, or authority, but I cannot let that devalue my hard work. It taught me discipline to do it even with no one watching and without expecting recognition. It built resilience within me to keep going even when it was easier to quit. It shaped me into someone who does not just talk about problems or solutions that will occur someday but someone who takes action in creating change today.

You Were Never Meant to Be Silent—You Were Meant to Lead

There is this mold society has created on what a leader is supposed to be: older, polished, and put together, but the kind of leader the world needs today does not necessarily look like that. 

The world needs someone bold, passionate, someone who speaks even after their voice shakes, and someone who does not say what needs to be done but does it. And that is everything you are becoming.

The things you’ve told me to tone down, like:

Your voice

Your passion

Your culture

Your presence 

They are not your weaknesses but your power. It is those very qualities that inspire people to listen, take action, and learn more. 

You Don’t Have to Choose Between Your Culture and Your Future

Somewhere along the way we have come up with this idea that we have to choose. 

We feel like we have to choose the following:

Between being professional and ourselves.

Between fitting in or standing out.

Between our culture and our ambition. 

But listen to something important:

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CHOOSE 

Your culture is not something you have to set aside to succeed; it is something that strengthens you and shapes your success. Because it is those who came before you’s sacrifices that push you to keep going. It is your resilience that keeps you standing when everything and everyone is telling you it’s okay to fall down. It is your pride in who you are and where you come from that gives you courage. 

Everything that makes you you, including your culture, your color, and your voice is your power as a leader.

You Are the Answer Our Community Has Been Waiting For

There have been moments that changed everything for me. Through Smiles for Miles, we have an event called Once Upon a Dress where we get formal dress donations and have a day where our community can pick one for free with snacks, activities, door prizes, and so much more. During this year’s Once Upon a Dress: Homecoming, a grandmother of one of the girls looking for a dress came up to me in tears. She told me that what we were doing was something she had been praying for. She came from an unserved community and said this was everything she wished existed for girls like her, for families similar to hers. At that moment, I was reminded this is not about me or the people who think I can’t; this is about the people I can help when I stand up and do something. This is about my community and my people. For generations the question has varied: Who will step up? Who will lead? Who will speak up? Who will create change needed for growth? And the answer is not someday. It’s you right now, right where you are, because no time will ever be the perfect time, and you will never be quite prepared, but you just have to get up and do it. Your leadership will create space for girls like you who feel just like you do right now. It is through your leap of faith and feeling like an outsider that someday the room will be filled with people of your color and culture because, you are be one of the first but you definitely will not be the last.

You Are Not Someday; You Are Right Now

You have been told to wait for someday, but what if being NEXT is not about waiting but about choosing? Choosing to be the NEXT to lead, to speak up, and to create change. Not later but right now.

So What Are You Going To Do With That?

You can keep telling yourself you are not ready, or you can step into what you already know is inside you because you know you are not too young, too brown, or too loud, and your doubt was not wasted because it was a part of your story and it strengthened you. So, stop waiting and start speaking and leading, and use the things that make you different as your strengths. The future of Latinas is not something we wait for; it is something we build, and it starts with you. I want to leave you with two reminders:

Stop saying “can’t” because you can do anything and everything you put your mind to, even if it means having to work harder than someone else.

Lastly, be proud of who you are, where you come from, and who you are becoming.

Instagram: @smilesformiles361
Instagram: @changemaker.elianagalvan
LinkedIn: Eliana Galvan