Eileen Salazar

Last name?"

"Salazar"

(Looks up. Sees a black girl) "I assume you mean Smith?"

I never understood why people are so surprised when I tell them my last name is Salazar, I get it I have brown skin. I hang out with nothing but black people but really, "you don't look like a Salazar." Seriously, what is a Salazar supposed to look like? A reddish color with long
curly hair? Blue with straight hair? No, maybe purple with a bob cut? Never had I been that annoyed by someone profiling me but it was at that moment when it dawned on me that society was completely clueless to a thing called Afro-Latinos.

Because of instances like this, I knew it was my calling to create platforms that allowed marginalized communities to be heard. I know this won't be an easy feat but through dedication and persistence it will be possible.

I believe there are three types of creatives in the world: the artsy, the creative and the craftsmen. I'm the craftsmen enhancing my skill set everyday by learning new software, researching new trends in the digital market and seeking knowledge from industry players in a variety of fields.

As a true believer of speaking things into existence, I will be the Oprah slash Diddy with a Latin twist of my generation.