All my life, I have marked white on forms. I was born in Israel, but my grandparents are Brazilian and so my mom is as well. I am therefore 1/2 Brazilian bloodwise, but since we are from a lighter region, my skin is white and I am blonde. That’s why I have marked white on forms. Some of my cousins, that are darker, have marked hispanic.
Now, I am a junior in high school, looking for schools. I have a lot of friends that are like 1/4 hispanic of even less, and they are applying to college as hispanics, when really they are not. It’s weird, because in actuality, I really am.
What do you guys think? Should I change my ethnicity at school to boost my admissions and financial aid, and then apply as an hispanic (which I am, by blood)? Or, just forget about it and go with the fact I have white skin as my ethnicity determinant. Thanks!
@basketball135 I am going to assume that since you are from Israel that you are Jewish. Many Jews left Europe beginning in the late 1800’s to settle in Mexico, Central and South America. They were encouraged to come by countries like Argentina and Brazil.
Based on that, I am going to again assume that you are still white and Jewish, and that your bloodline did not change, unless your family intermarried with indigenous people of South America.
However, you are still considered hispanic. Many hispanics currently in Brazil, Argentina etc. (regardless of religion) are also white and had white ancestors from Spain, Poland, Germany and Italy. Identifying as hispanic is not based on a bloodline or race. It is based on your country of origin. There are many white hispanics.
If your mom is from Brazil, you are half hispanic regardless of race. It is okay to mark this on applications and especially when you take the PSAT so that you may qualify for National Hispanic Scholars.
If you already took the PSAT and scored above 180, look into seeing what the cut-offs are for Hispanic Scholar. You can call them and change your nationality (Hispanic) and still say you are white. They might require proof such as a passport or birth certificate with your mother’s place of birth.
My D who had a great grandmother and grandmother who were from Argentina is also Jewish and white. I had a lengthy discussion with the people from College Board ( who award National Hispanic Scholarships) and they told me to definitely mark her as Hispanic and white.
Good luck!
You’re hispanic. Hispanic can be any race.