From Sep. 15 through Oct. 15, Hispanic Heritage Month is widely observed by many people across the U.S. Starting as just a week-long event in the 1960’s, Hispanic Heritage month has evolved to become a beautiful celebration of Hispanic history.

This month of celebration highlights the important Hispanic figures in our lives, and for Hispanic-Americans to show pride in their culture. Ms. Ramirez, a Spanish teacher at Cardozo High School, knows more than anyone how important it is to celebrate people.

Born in New York to two Colombian immigrants, Ms. Ramirez was very familiar with the significance of celebrating different cultures. “I love people and all learning about all cultures. Being from Queens, I grew up celebrating just about everything under the sun,” she explained.

“I had friends from so many different cultures. I grew up going to the Lunar New Years parades in Flushing, and Diwali celebrations in Richmond Hill,” Ms. Ramirez shared. “I celebrate the Jewish holidays with my husband and his family, I love Korean food and culture as well!”

Being surrounded by so many people of different backgrounds, Ms. Ramirez found herself constantly immersed in the lives of those who are different from her, learning from their experiences.

Of course, this love of exploring cultures does not stop at other people’s festivities — Ms. Ramirez is also very proud of her own culture.

For Hispanic Heritage Month, she spent time highlighting a lot of important people in her classes. As a teacher, she highlights how feeling seen in educational spaces is a necessity for all students, and strives to give her students a place for them to feel represented; not just with their Hispanic side, but their American side as well.

“Sometimes, being first-generation son or daughter of immigrants can make you feel like an outsider of both American and your home culture,” Ramirez explained.

“I like to remind students that you don’t have to be the perfect version of those cultures to be a part of either.”