Selena Quintanilla, a famous star, left the world heartbroken after a backstabbing tragedy. Her once lovely voice was silenced by the hands of her jealous and selfish “friend”, a beautiful story cut short by the hands of the greedy. Growing up wasn’t the simplest thing for her; many challenges came her way. With her great mindset, she beat every single one. From growing up with financial struggle, dealing with sexism, the pressure of her career growing, and managing her personal life, began to slowly interfere with her relationships and friendships.   

She knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Even with everything on top of her, she had always set goals for herself. No matter the pressure or stress it took from her, she firmly believed that there is possible, in the impossible. She knew that as long as she lived, no one could stop her dreams. She always expressed how much she loved kids and would soon want some of her own. She specifically wanted a family of 3, sometimes joking around with having 6 kids. A cozy home was what she preferred or wished as her home for her small family later on in the future. Selena helped her fans see beauty from within themselves, and not the outer beauty of others.  

She wished to reduce the amount of sexism by paving the way for many female singers. She also constantly insisted that kids stay in school and get a thorough education, as it is one of the most important things that will happen in their lives. Yet one of her main goals was to invest in a boutique and salon for herself. She named both her boutique and salon, “Selena Etc”. Her salon included several services for the customers to enjoy. These were clothes that she designed; some items were bejeweled or studded jackets and tops. She had a lot of accessories, and there were also designer clothes, made by a designer called Martin Gomez. Her salon included services such as hair, nails, and massage therapy. With these things came a wide variety of options and choices. 

She was born and raised in Freeport, Texas. She originally only knew English, but decided to learn Spanish so she could sing and pursue her career. Pop artists like Maddona, Diana Ross, and Whitney Houston, even her own father, were her biggest inspirations. Her father had a little band with her called “Selena y los dinos”, a family band where her father mentored her in music. She knew she was dedicated to breaking the male-only industry in tejano music. She wouldn’t let anyone or anything get in between her and her dreams. She thought the world was a place for everyone to chase their dreams, embrace their uniqueness, and treat each other kindly for as long as they live. She truly valued hard work and dedication, along with her family, and following her dreams. She also wished her fans would do the same, and inspired them to. 

So she dedicated her time to becoming a singer. Her hard work and dedication paid off, as one of her songs, called “Como La Flor”, propelled her career up high. Becoming her most famous hit single. Her music career blasted off as she hit the billboards and became a fashion icon. She loved to wear unique clothes that made her stand out or “pop”. Yet no one could deny how extremely talented she was! She was not only vocally talented, but she also had amazing dance skills. She was truly known as a sweet person with such an amazing personality. 

Though her life was cut short, she achieved and accomplished many things, like when her first live album came out, she won a Grammy for Best Mexican-American Album. She launched her own business and opened up her own boutique and salon after she had won her Grammy. Then, sadly, after her death, her album “Dreaming Of You” was released and became No. 1 on the USA Billboard. 

Though Selena is no longer with us, she will and should always be remembered for the impact she made on people’s lives before and after her death. She paved the way for many female artists and showed that with true hard work and determination, you can achieve your dreams. She once quoted, “If you have a dream, don’t let anybody take it away. Always believe that the impossible is possible.” She truly inspires me to become a better person and to chase my dreams. Don’t just sit around and do nothing because you think it’s too hard or out of reach for me, but try. Even if it doesn’t work, at least I know I tried and stayed true to myself and love my own unique beauty.