Day 20: A Letter to My Younger Self

Dear younger self, 

I am flooded with memories that have shaped us into the woman we are today. The journey that got us to this point. I narrowed down some words of advice that you might find important. 

The things that scare you the most, are the things that will end up bringing you the most joy. 

Continue to push through the hard times, because there is always that rainbow at the end. 

It’s okay to show your emotions, that’s what makes you real. 

You will seek love and approval from those who cannot give that to you in return. But that doesn’t mean you should stop being the loving person that you are. 

Despite being told by the ones who are supposed to love you unconditionally- you are not too much. Your feelings aren’t invalid. You are just enough, if not more. 

You will try to make others proud but the only person you should make proud at the end of the day is yourself. 

The things you love should be cherished not made fun of. 

Don’t let them break you. 

When people question your lack of Spanish rolling off your tongue, and your freckled skin, remember that you are Latina enough. 

Birthdays are not just another day. Throw yourself the birthday party and eat all the cake.

The ones that love you will always show up with no excuses. 

Don’t hold back your words. You have real things to say and sometimes it’s not what others want to hear, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. 

Lastly, stay extra, stay true to yourself, and continue to seek more because you are magic. 

With love, 

26 year old Des

About the Author

Desiree Velazquez, former elementary teacher & somos escritoras mentor

Desiree is of Mexican descent from her mother’s side. Born and raised in San Antonio, TX. Desiree is the first in her family to graduate from college. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2020 with a bachelors degree in elementary education. She is currently living in the Orlando, FL area where she served as an elementary teacher. She is currently a full-time mom to her baby that was born in July. In her free time she likes to read, cycle, spend time with her golden retriever Apollo, and go to the Disney parks. Her goal is to be the best role model and mom to her daughter, Viviane. 

About the Blog Series

The #LatinaLuminaries Blog Series by Somos Escritoras. The series was created to illuminate the wisdom, experiences, voices, and truths of Latina women and girls and the broader Latinx community. The blog series features writing from escritoras (participants) and writing mentors from Somos Escritoras Latinx Writing Workshop. Published Latina authors, writers, poets, and illustrators who presented at our workshop also contributed to the blog series.