The growing desert city of Yuma, Arizona, has been home for I-Reporter Pamela Carvajal Drapala and generations before her since the 1800s. Drapala was born there in 1954, and says her Mexican ancestors were some of the first people to move to Yuma.
Her father, Vincent, died of a brain tumor when she was 8, and she worked to piece together what information she could about her family after his death.
She was one of many I-Reporters responding to CNN's call for photos and stories of being Latino in the United States to mark Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15. Photos and stories flooded in of people celebrating multiple cultural traditions and challenging perceived stereotypes. View Drapala's photos and see more stories 
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