We are currently in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month, as it goes from Sept. 15 until Oct. 15.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is all about recognizing the contributions and influences of Hispanic Americans to the history and culture of the United States.

When many Hispanics arrive to the U.S they face many barriers, like Grand Island Public Schools Board Member Carlos Barcenas, who arrived to Nebraska from Mexico 27 years ago. At that time, the language was a barrier for him.

“There was a culture shock, the barrier of culture, the barrier of my surroundings were different," Barcenas said. "I didn’t know the culture of Grand Island, the culture of Nebraska.”

The President of the Nebraska Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Yesenia Peck said Hispanics find many barriers even in the workplace.

“Definitely the language, and with that, the positions of who needs to speak English or Spanish and when and in what situation, etc.” Peck said.

According to Barcenas, he didn’t see a lot of people that looked like him in leadership positions in the community. He said kids need to be able to see people like themselves in those spots.

“That opens up the possibility of ‘I can be that person in the future,'" he added.

Recruiter for the Migrant Education Program in Hastings Aida Evans also experienced language barriers when she arrived to the U.S. 26 years ago. According to her, Hispanics have all the help they need in the community.

“You can volunteer at the schools, you can volunteer at the literacy program, you can volunteer with the health departments, this country is about opportunities," Evans said.

“We are a huge force on the economy of our state, especially in the agriculture, especially in the meat packing plants," Peck added.

“We should be proud of our roots, our countries, we come to the United States to succeed we don't only come here ‘just because’ like many people say," said Grand Island resident Cesar Morales. "We are proud to give our services in a country as important as United States.”

“It makes me proud that we bring something new, something different, we are resilient, we are hard workers," Barcenas said.

According to the Hispanic Heritage Month website, the celebration month actually starts on Sept. 15, because many Latin American countries celebrate their Independence Day on that date.