This piece represents the opinion of the author. Identity is extremely complicated, particularly for people of Latin American origin here in the United States. Numerous ethnic classifications for people like this exist here, but the two most commonly used terms are “Hispanic” and “Latino/a.” Although sometimes used interchangeably, these two terms differ greatly in meaning and origin. The two terms “Hispanic” and “Latino/a” do not refer to racial categories (such as skin color or race) but rather describe a shared ethnicity and culture. This is because anyone who identifies as “Hispanic” or “Latino/a” could be of any race.