There’s no escaping them: boys. They’re everywhere and we can’t help but to be drawn to them. This isn’t just a girl thing; guys are naturally attracted to us as well and, if we’re lucky, the one we are crushing over is also crushing over us. But what do you do when he makes a [...]

1. My friends only talk about sex. I don’t feel comfortable talking about those kinds of things and I feel peer-pressured into talking about it. How can I tell them to stop including me in those topics without losing their friendship? Be honest and let your friends know that you feel uncomfortable with the topic [...]

Being young and trying to move smoothly through school, life and friends can be difficult, and may lead you to many road blocks. There are many instances where you might not know how to deal with situations that come your way. Good and bad events in your life are all part of the process, Latinitas [...]

What is bullying? According to Webster’s dictionary bullying is the action of habitually being cruel or overbearing to someone who is smaller or weaker. Over the past few years, bullying has become a major issues in schools and on-line. It is something that I see frequently in the high school setting. Students do not see [...]

Dear Latinitas, My best friend has moved out of town. Before she left we used to hang out all the time, talk on the phone EVERY DAY and even had sleepovers. However, now we barely speak and let alone see each other. I’ve tried to keep our friendship alive, but I feel she’s not trying [...]

My relationship only lasted  four months, but they were the longest and most stressful four months of my entire love life. I experienced a teen dating violence relationship with my 17-year-old boyfriend. I had been working at burger place at the time for over a year when I met Drake. He was a cute German boy who [...]

Dating can be fun, exciting, and it’s usually a great experience, but sometimes it can be quite the opposite.You may say to yourself, “Oh he just loves me” if your boyfriend becomes possessive or jealous. Maybe he pushes you one day and says “It was just an accident, it will never happen again.” Sometimes he [...]

My two best friends and I love to get together, buy a bunch of junk food, rent lots of chick flicks and talk at each other’s houses. Of course, the topic of boys quickly comes into the conversation. The three of us have very different opinions about boys and high school love. Like many teenage [...]

Valentine’s Day, is known to be one of the most romantic holidays of the year. This may be true for some people, but for others it may seem like the end of the world. Valentine’s Day has been considered to be a holiday where public display of affection is permitted in public places. Couples everywhere [...]

Gloria Ortiz, age 19, has been in an inter-racial relationship for three years. “If strong feelings are mutual (then) ethnicity should not play a role in caring for a person,” says Gloria. “The key to any good relationship, inter-racial or otherwise, is communication.” Until recently, not many people expressed what Desiree believes. In fact, about [...]

Every relationship is different. Even though all relationships are unique and function on their own terms, like sharing your own super cool secret language with a sibling or friend, there are certain guidelines that can either strengthen or damage your relationship. Here are some pointers that should help you keep your relationships healthy and happy. 1.) Communicate: [...]

To some degree everyone has felt shy. For many it is “natural shyness” and for others it’s something they acquired as they got older or only in certain situations. Being shy is not a bad quality, but it can sometimes be an obstacle in school, since you are sometimes required to participate in discussions or [...]

Having an unemployed parent may be something that many kids never worry about. It was something that had definitely never even crossed my mind until it happened to my family. Having an unemployed parent can mean dealing with tough times and added pressure on families. Most of my life, it was the norm for my [...]

My friend Meagan Blanco was a dancer and a band member. She was a really kind and funny girl. She was beautiful, smart, and very strong in her faith. Her life was so blessed and full of joy, but her health took a tragic turn in her senior year of high school. After performing in [...]

One out of five women is sexually assaulted at some point in her life. Most of the time, it’s a family member, friend or acquaintance that commit these horrendous acts.  Unfortunately, when I was eight, I became one of those statistics.  My uncle, my father’s brother, was the perpetrator. When a child is at that innocent [...]

  One of the things I remember most about growing up is that my family rarely sat down together to eat a home cooked meal.  The majority of our meals were spent eating out. We ate big, paying no attention to fat or sugar content.  All that changed when I was in the 4th grade [...]

  Bang! In a moment, you can loose a very important person who has been in your life since you were born. Cynthia, age 18, experienced this firsthand when her father committed suicide. Losing her dad impacted her life, and it is an experience she would never wish to anyone. It feels like the darkness [...]

We all have our bad days and our good days, but what is it like when a family member has a terminal or serious illness? In order to better understand what it’s like to live with ill family members, Latinitas asked 19-year-old Luisa Rivas and 22-year-old Ida Palumbo to share their stories. Luisa Rivas found [...]

There are common stereotypes that Mexican families have strong conservative traditions when it comes to dating. One common stereotype is dating within one’s culture. It may have been like this a long time ago specifically for our grandparents and great-grandparents during a time where things were more traditional, and the world wasn’t so modern.  As [...]

When Alexia Cisneros was five years old, she wanted a stethoscope for her birthday. At nine, she cured herself of the chickenpox, and at eleven she knew she wanted to be a pediatrician. “If you ask me how many Barbie dolls I used as practice dummies for my surgeries, you would be surprised,” Alexia said. “Ever [...]

Many Latina women struggle with being able to relate to the “sassy, sensual, hot-tempered and street smart Latina” mold portrayed by the media. As a Latina woman, I have never quite fit into that mold and often wondered about the existence of Latina role models. Where Are the Latina Role Models?: There are still many [...]

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) topics are hot button issues. Despite the controversy, LGBT stereotypes are important and growing issues for teen girls. Many realize what they like and who they like at a young age, like I did, but it can also take a while for others to accept it. On T.V and [...]

A Latinita shares her thoughts on strict anti-immigration laws being put into place in states like Arizona, Virginia, Idaho and Alabama. New laws are requiring police to arrest anyone they believe is residing in this country illegally. States are having problems with the rise of immigrants entering the country. They believe that passing this law [...]

Car crashes are the number one killer of teens.  Eight teens a day are killed in car crashes reports the Center for Disease Control. In 2000 alone, 4,877 teen deaths were the result of preventable crashes according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). We ask ourselves, “How can we stop this? What must [...]

When this country was founded, women had no rights. They were not educated and considered property to men. They were not allowed to vote or take part in poliPoststics. If they worked, they had little control over the money they earned. Women were completely dependent on men and confined by double standards. Since then, women [...]

With the minority presence growing into the majority of the population across the country, the All-American Girl can no longer be described in such simple terms as the thin, blue-eyed blonde with a sparkling smile. Teenage girls of today come in all shapes, sizes and ethnicities. A Latinita teen magazine reporter reveals a few of [...]

Are you ready for your first job? Knowing how to act professional is the first step in getting ready for job hunting and starting in workplace. Being professional means acting respectful, mature, polite and responsible. There will be times when you will be required to behave professionally in any job you hold.  Here are some [...]

With the tough economy and competitive job market, more and more high school and college students are turning to internships to get that extra experience. Internships are also a great way to network and make connections with different people.  There are two types of internships: physical (on location) and virtual (work from home).  But which [...]

Ever visited your local rescue shelter for homeless pets?  It’s downright impossible for your heart not to melt at the site of a wide-eyed puppy or kitty staring back at you from behind a cage. The sad truth is that an overwhelmingly high number of homeless pets are put to sleep on a daily basis [...]

Women are up and coming in the business world, and many of them had an entrepreneur vision from a very young age. Owning your own business can be difficult with permits, loans, rental space, and not to mention money, but these young Latinas are proving no challenge is too big for them.  These young Latinas [...]

Vea este artículo en español aquí You’ve probably heard about on the newspaper, in blogs or on TV. Occupy Wall Street is a movement fighting against inequalities and I’m proud to have been a part of the local occupy movement in my hometown. Occupy Wall Street is a national movement that has been going on [...]

Have you ever wanted to be a superhero? The real heroes of our community are emergency responders like the police, fire department and ambulance technicians. You can be a hero too by volunteering to help emergency services that are always looking for volunteer aid with emergencies and disasters. Help at Your Fire Department “Volunteering with [...]

After a long day of high school, with all the homework and the teachers and the gossip, who has time for a job? Is it not enough to have to worry about all of those things without adding on the stresses of working after school at the local burger joint? Despite the many issues the [...]

Does your BFF have your back? Would you speak out against someone who was bullying or harassing your friend? Don’t be silent  and just watch your friends get hurt in front of you. Laura Zárate and Arely Sulvarán-Achenbach are Latina victim advocates who offer their advice to guide you in taking action, helping a friend [...]

School is out, the sun is shining brightly, and you have bummed around the house for long enough! Maybe your mamí has suggested getting a job, but working at the local fast food joint just doesn’t sound good…actually it sounds terrible. You have talent, a can-do spirit, a mind full of ideas and a few [...]

Danielle, age 17, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was three years old. “I felt scared and did not know what to think. I was not aware of what it meant to be diabetic, but I had a feeling I was going to have it for a long time…” she said. Although she [...]

My sister, Mistique, at the age of 16, was the type of teenager who asked for subscriptions to Time Magazine and Newsweek; now all these years later, I understand why. Instead of fighting over the cartoon channel or CNN with my sister, it was which cab to chose, or how to hail it during my [...]