Meet Andrea Garcia, a senior soccer player at UTPB majoring in Human Performance with a concentration on strength and conditioning. For Garcia, identifying as Hispanic-Latina is meaningful because it's her culture, her roots, and her identity that shaped her into the person she is today.  

"I'm from Costa Rica, a country ranked as the happiest country in the world," said Garcia.  "It's part of who I am, and that will never leave me, being Latina gives me the personality to be who I am today." 

Garcia is proud to be from Costa Rica and celebrates her identity in many ways.  

"Celebrating my country's independence means celebrating freedom. There are places in the world that do not have the freedom that we have, and that's something we often take for granted," said Garcia. "I am fortunate to have been born in a Latin country like Costa Rica, to be part of a culture that gives spice, emotion and passion to the world, and it's a huge source of pride to represent my country and culture here in the U.S."  

The thing Garcia loves most about being at UTPB is being part of the soccer team, which has given her the opportunity to meet amazing people from different cultures. 

"This team has shown me how valuable it is to share experiences with people from different backgrounds. Even though I come from a Central American country and identify as Latina, my culture is enriched by mixing with others," said Garcia.  "This diversity is what makes our team special and has so much potential to achieve our goals." 

Garcia added, "Appreciate, be proud of, and be thankful for where you come from."