To OP: Check the Hispanic box. Answer any follow up questions accurately. Don’t tie yourself in knots worrying about it. We are a multi-ethnic, multi-racial country and colleges are interested in admitting a variety of students from different backgrounds. They’ll figure out the nuances.
How could one have Argentine citizenship and not be Hispanic or of Hispanic descent?
You could be born in Argentina but to white, American parents. You could have Argentinian citizenship, but you wouldn’t be Hispanic.
Again, it depends if you are making an identification for URM purposes–if so-it will be important to delineate your specific ties to the community and how that factors into their educational goals.
If they were born in Argentina to American parents, they wouldn’t have Argentinean citizenship would they?
It doesn’t matter if your daughter has Argentinian citizenship…does she have a parent/grandparent that is 100% Hispanic(perhaps from Argentina)? For example, a Taiwanese and Italian were married and were was living in Argentina that would not make their child Hispanic. But if a Argentinian native person married an Italian, their grandchild would qualify under the National Hispanic Recognition Program.
But if your daughter does not identify as Hispanic, she should not check that box.
For example, my oldest did not identify as Hispanic even those she qualified as NHRP. But my younger one does.
Ah, I see - if one was incidentally born in Argentina, during a vacation or something? Then I agree.
Though one could be born to non-Argentine, non-Hispanic parents permanently living in Argentina, be raised there and identify as Argentine primarily, and I would consider them Hispanic.
ETA:
This is a difficult term to apply in this situation. What constitutes being a native Argentine? Descended from the indigenous peoples that lived there prior to European colonization? Being a second or third generation Argentine? How does one define being a native Argentinian when 80% of its citizens are of European descent? Quite easily, the Italian or Taiwanese person could be a “native Argentine”. And with Argentina’s overwhelming Italian population, it wouldn’t be surprising.
Actually, if you have Argentinean citizenship you absolutely can consider yourself Hispanic. It doesn’t matter the race or ethnicity of your parents.
Go read the US census definition of Hispanic.
A couple of years ago, tokenadult had a long thread which covered all of those questions. you might search for his/her thread.
That is interesting, romani.
In one place it says: “Definition of Hispanic or Latino Origin Used in the 2010 Census “Hispanic or Latino” refers to
a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.”
But in the longer explanation, it says: “OMB requires federal agencies to use a minimum of two ethnicities: Hispanic or Latino and Not Hispanic or Latino. Hispanic origin can be viewed as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. People who identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may be any race.”
I find that fascinating.
Actually, I believe that Argentina operates as the US does with jus soli citizenship, so being born there to foreign parents would result in an Argentine citizenship as well.
And yes, under the US census definition, one with only incidental citizenship from Argentina could consider oneself Hispanic.
However, it’s not as if the US census is the only or ruling definition of Hispanic… but that’s where I’ll leave that discussion because while I disagree to an extent I easily see it devolving into an off-topic debate.
All this discussion ensues because we try to put people in neat little boxes. The male/female question is becoming increasingly complicated as well. Hopefully, one day all forms of discrimination will vanish and we can stop asking these questions because it won’t matter any longer.
Hispanic - it will greatly help with her college application, use that card.
Why is it difficult? People can have ancestry from several ethnicities or national origins.
When applying to colleges, use every hook you have - legacy, URM, full pay, development, first generation, location.
Any proof of this?
Yes. URMs get likely letters from Cornell when others don’t, same with women in CoE.
If it didn’t matter, they wouldn’t ask. No different than legacy, first generation. If you want to be even more specific, just ask any credible private counselors on how many test scores is that status worth.
The Latinas( South American) I know best, consider themselves to be white.
But she should put what she feels is accurate and how she describes herself at her current school.
My DD is Latina and Black. She puts Hispanic for ethnicity and black for race. I would think the kid you described would put Hispanic for ethnicity and white for race unless perhaps mom is Indio Hispanic or Black Hispanic. If yes, then the kid is multiracial but still Hispanic.
Just put whatever is both arguably true, and maximally beneficial.
Is there any other country in the world that makes such convoluted divisions among its citizens?