Once I started advancing in my career, I stopped wanting to hide from my reality.
Anybody who lives in Colombia knows that if you don't have any money - I tell you what - you don't have many options.
Before I cook, I always have to put on music that parents listened to while cooking. I remember waking up in the morning and seeing my dad making breakfast with music and cutting up the tomato and singing to it and just handling food with such care. So when I cook, I put on salsa, vallenato, cumbia, or anything that reminds me of Colombia.
I love making dishes that my mother used to make.
There are some days that I have to remind myself, and I have to give myself affirmations, and I have to go to yoga or do something nice for myself. I get nervous about putting myself out there, but I want to encourage others to use their voices, too.
People tell me to go back to my country, and I'm an American.
Since when is it good to separate a family?
I was voted Most Happy-Go-Lucky in high school. Can you believe that? I was crying every other day by myself, but I was voted Most Optimistic and Most Likely to Have Her Own Television Talk Show.
When I've been asked in the past about my dream role, I always expressed how much I'd like to be a superhero.
Even if you can't be an activist every day, when you can be, do it.
If you have money, donate it. If you have time, donate that time. If you have a story to tell, share that story. There's a list of things you can do, and even educating yourself is a form of revolution in my opinion.
I want us to all look at ourselves and look at our stories. It doesn't matter where you come from or what journeys you've taken. Your stories matter, and they're powerful.
Just sharing who you are - there's so much value in that.
Freedom has not always meant the same for everyone in this country.
I think it's always been sort of difficult for people of color to celebrate the Fourth of July and really understand what that means.
I am a proud American, regardless of the fact that my parents were separated from me forcefully.
We have to educate our communities about the immigration system and dispel the myths that have been fed to us. Immigration isn't going to go away. A wall isn't going to 'solve' the issue.
I know my family loves me, but the hardest part is to love myself.
I remember when I was younger, older folks would say to me, 'There are three things you don't talk about at a dinner party: religion, politics, and money.' But I think the truth is quite the opposite.
In my opinion, we're here to be happy; we're here to work hard; we're here to do the right thing; and we're here to save our planet. And I think that we can achieve it.
