We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us how Selena Quintanilla has inspired them. These were the heartwarming responses.
1. "Selena showed me how beautiful it is to be a Mexican-American and to be proud of it."
2. "She was magical and taught me you didn’t have to be stick-thin to be beautiful."
3. "Before her, there were no young Mexican-American icons to look up to. She was beautiful, talented, humble, and kind."
4. "Growing up...while everyone else in my neighborhood listened to Britney and Christina and [aspired] to be them one day, I always dreamed of becoming Selena."
5. "Selena was the reason I learned Spanish!"
6. "She taught me to follow your dreams no matter how rough the road leading to them could be, as long as you achieve them."
7. "Selena was the first artist whose songs I memorized as a child. There are videos of baby me in diapers singing her cover of 'I Will Survive' and 'Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.'"
8. "As I've grown up she has inspired me to live life to the fullest."
9. "When I see makeup and clothes I think if Selena would wear it. And if she would I know that I can rock that look too. I will never stop trying to be as amazing as she was."
10. "Selena showed me that following your dreams is always number one."
11. "She is the reason why I am the way I am today. She taught me even more Spanish, how to dance, and so much more."
12. "’I'm half-black, half-Mexican and...Selena helped me connect with the Mexican side of my family."
13. "I told my mom I wanted to learn Spanish at 7 years old so I could understand her songs."
14. "I remember my mom playing her music when she was cooking and my sisters and I dancing along, arguing over who looked like her the most."
15. "Being Latina but not fluent in Spanish (like Selena)...motivated me to learn the language..."
