<p>My grandmother was from El Salvador as were her parents. She was born and raised there with spanish as her first language and came to America in her late teens. However she was not ethnically fully el salvadorian. So if so my mother would be 1/2 hispanic making me 1/4. However my dad is completely white and I am blonde w/ green eyes. However my grandparents basically raised me and my mother does not always speak grammatically correct due to my grandmothers broken english. I was raised with spanish phrases and el salvadoran food my whole life. It's a part of who I am. Neither of my parents graduated from college. I was just curious as to whether or not I could qualify as hispanic or not, as it does help in some college admissions. Thanks.</p>
<p>Yes. Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race. First, you get asked “Are you Hispanic or Latino?” -check “yes.” Then for race, you’d select white. You’d still be considered Hispanic. Colleges don’t ask for percentages, but some scholarships do. 1/4 Hispanic or more is generally the rule.</p>
<p>hispanic is not a race or ethnicity…it is simply a language grouping that is why most applications say
non hispanic white/ non hispanic black or hispanic any race.</p>
<p>the term was coined for political purposes in the united states . a white person from argentina or costa rica is not related racially or ethnically to a black person in dominican republic or a native indian in peru or guatemala.</p>
<p>in fact many natives in the americas do not even speak spanish but native/indigenous languages but for political reasons in the united states are also grouped as hispanic.</p>
<p>I think you need to decide what you think is the correct thing to do. </p>
<p>OP, the government defines Hispanic or Latino as “persons who trace their origin or descent to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America, and other Spanish cultures.” On the college app, as in the official Census, you can choose whatever you feel applies. You can feel free to claim these aspects of your identity. As you said, " It’s a part of who I am." </p>
<p>@zobroward</p>
<p>“a white person from argentina or costa rica is not related racially or ethnically to a black person in dominican republic or a native indian in peru or guatemala.”</p>
<p>Right. But the majority of Hispanics are mixed (mostly mestizo, but also mulatto) to varying degrees/race percentages, which means most have Spanish ancestry in common. </p>
<p>However, all this is irrelevant to the OP as “the term was coined for political purposes in the united states” and as @lookingforward said, “On the college app, as in the official Census, you can choose whatever you feel applies.”</p>
<p>But, of course, mindful of the definitions the government uses. </p>