"I work as a civil engineer in the transportation industry. Transportation is one of the oldest engineer industries, especially in New York City. So a Latina working there is simply out of the question. I am the only woman in my department, the only woman of color, and definitely the only woman in the technical field. Being there for more than six years and until this day, people think of me as the administrative assistant. They ask me: “Oh, are you your boss´ secretary?” And I look at them in the face and I say: “I know you for six years, and you still ask me this question."

"The fact that the only show that’s on prime time television [Devious Maids] is of Latinas who grew up poor and continue to be poor and are maids, and working for a rich white family... It doesn’t really help young Latinas or any viewer to think of Latinas as people who can actually be doctors, lawyers, or any practicing professional. I really dislike the way that Latinas are portrayed in the media, especially when they just call them hot and spicy… that’s how you characterize food. We are not food, we are human beings, and people who can really contribute to society."

"In my life there have been instances where I could say that I was more concerned with how my body looked or how I should dress so I could be the curvy Latina. All of that time and energy could have gone into something more productive."

"It’s not just about the issue of gender, it’s about the issue of gender and color and race. And a measure of invisibility that specially Afro-latinas have acquired. That’s one more reason why I couldn’t fully embraced that aspect of me. Because it wasn’t allow to be made visible, just in my own family, perhaps, but in the outside world, it was suppressed ."