LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — (Eds. note: Para ver esta historia en Español, clic aqui).
Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the culture and history of the Hispanic and Latin-X communities.
For the younger generation, representation in positions of power can be life-changing, but it’s not always easy to find.
One Latina leader in Central Arkansas is eager to inspire the next generation.
The Arkansas National Guard has been around since 1804. Right now, more than 8,000 men and women are helping protect the state and country.
Cibeles Ramirez Rodriguez is one of those people.
“I am the new state public affairs officer for the Arkansas National Guard,” Rodriguez said. “I'm in charge of communicating the message of the Arkansas National Guard, both air and army out to the community and the state of Arkansas and the nation, honestly.”
She carries a big responsibility and it’s part of a new chapter in her military career, one that spans more than two decades.
“23 years ago, in Puerto Rico, a recruiter actually came to our high school and he's like, 'Hey, you know, you get out of class if you take this test?' and I was like, 'Sign us up, all my friends,” Rodriguez said. “Little did we know, that decision was going to change our lives completely.”
From that point on, Rodriguez began to do it all.
She started as a chemical specialist, became an officer, went to aviation school, deployed around the world and at one point served in Guatemala.
“It kind of brought me back to my Hispanic and Latin roots,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez is a Latina, born in Houston and raised in Central, South America and Puerto Rico. That's where she spent most of her life before joining the military, which is a place where she didn't always see people who looked like her.
“I haven't been exposed to a lot of people that are Latinos or Hispanic,” Rodriguez said.
“We're about 8% Hispanic population within the Arkansas Army National Guard and growing," Rodriguez said.
Because of that, Rodriguez said she feels a great sense of pride being a Latina in her position with the guard.
“My family made a lot of sacrifices for me to be here," Rodriguez said. “I was actually the first one to be able to go to college and get a degree in my Puerto Rican family. So, I have a big responsibility to represent them.”
As a bilingual Latina, Rodriguez has been able to translate while serving, and she said it's those moments that have helped her realize how important it is that she's visible to people from her community.
“When the mom was not able to communicate, and she was extremely worried about the service member, which was her son, and nobody was able really to calm her down or to give her the information that she needed, which was available but wasn't able to communicate with her,” Rodriguez said. “Being able to sit down with her, and reach her hand and touch it and hug her and explain to her in a way that she could understand. Understanding that it’s OK and that we’re here for her and that her son is getting the help he needs and she was going to be taken care of as well was pivotal to me because I pictured myself in that position as a mother.”
Rodriguez said being able to bridge that cultural gap fuels her drive to succeed.
“It's a fire. It's a resilience and I think that's what we bring to the table. We are go-getters. We are used to overcoming challenges,” Rodriguez said. "I see that as the fuel and the foundation that has given me the opportunity to be to where I’m at right now.”
Rodriguez hopes her story can help inspire other young Latinos whether they want to join the military or not.
“Not let themselves be defined by where they came from, or where they currently are," Rodriguez said. "To realize that the whole world is their oyster. There's so many opportunities."
Above all, her biggest message is to hold on to who you are.
“You shouldn't conform," Rodriguez said. "I think that you are who you are... use those as tools to get you where you want to be... I’m telling you, the more authentic you are to yourself, the further along you are going to get.”