When I was eight years old, my family immigrated to the United States from Mexico, and I immediately became a bridge-builder and cultural interpreter for my parents.

This is what happens when you are a 1.5-generation immigrant.

The term “1.5 Generation” was coined in the 1960s by Ruben Rumbaut and used to describe people who arrived in the U.S. as children and adolescents.

Rumbaut, a sociology professor at UC Irvine and a Cuban American who immigrated to the United States as a child, first studied this concept, stating that children ages 6 and 12 are the truest 1.5s.

This describes the part of me that I never understood growing up but somehow have learned to embrace.

Being a young child not fully belonging to either culture can be challenging.

I felt awkward and confused; in America, I was Mexican. In Mexico, I was American. I was a misfit.

When you're a generation 1.5, your childhood might look something like this:

• You speak a different language at home.

• You translate to your parents at a young age.

• You constantly explain social activities to your parents: high school football, prom, graduation ceremony, etc.

Over the years, I've learned to take the best of both worlds.

I am very proud to be bilingual and bicultural.

And I have my parents to thank for that.