Amanda Diaz on Immigrating From Cuba, Learning English via YouTube Makeup Tutorials, and Becoming an Activist

Beauty influencer Amanda Diaz started her professional makeup artistry career at just 14 years of age before becoming a YouTube sensation. For Hispanic Heritage Month, Diaz opens up about her experience as a Cuban immigrant, learning English through makeup tutorial videos, and how her parents helped inspire her Cuban pride and work ethic. 

I moved to the United States with my mom, dad, and sister when I was five years old. I didn’t speak any English at the time. We immigrated from Cuba through asylum. Moving to a new country is really difficult as is, but especially so with a language barrier. My parents worked really hard, and seeing them struggle—going through the challenges of being immigrants and not having the same opportunities or resources that other people had here—really instilled in me that if I wanted something, I had to work for it and put in double the efforts of others with more privilege.

We were very fortunate to move to Miami because it’s basically a safe haven for Cubans and Cuban culture. My parents were so proud of being Cuban, and that resonated with me. I’m so proud of where we come from and my culture, and I take any chance I get to share it. When guests come over, I make them Cuban coffee. I’ll FaceTime my mom when cooking Cuban dishes, even though I know the recipe, so we can spend that time together and doing something that involves our culture. I hope to pass Cuban recipes down to my children.

But when I first moved here, I had an identity crisis. We always spoke Spanish at home, but I wanted to assimilate to living in the United States and didn't want to speak Spanish. Now I’m so glad that my parents enforced that at home. The language is a part of who I am and where I come from, and I never want to forget that. I think the more languages you can speak, the better. You get to reach so many different people. That’s something my parents told me: When you speak two languages, you get to make double the friends.