(CNN) -- With a name like Chiqui Cartagena, you can't escape the fact that you're different from your classmates in school. From the first grade on, I was constantly looked down upon and treated differently -- and sometimes not so nicely. I'm an Army brat. My father was a decorated veteran of the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment that bravely fought in the Korean War. When he left the armed forces, he became a corporate executive for General Electric in Spain, which is where I grew up from the age of 6 until I was 21 years old. When I came to the U.S. to finish my education and became a journalist, I was fascinated by how little people really understood Latinos. So I have spent my whole professional life helping my fellow Americans understand who we are.
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Cartagena spent whole professional life helping fellow Americans understand Latinos
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Every 30 seconds, two non-Hispanics reach retirement age and one Latino turns 18
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"Latino baby boom" will affect every aspect of American life over the next 50 years
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Cartagena: Businesses can't afford to ignore Hispanics, one-quarter of their market
-- that offer companies unprecedented domestic growth opportunities, if only they will focus their efforts on marketing to @placeholder.
When minorities in general make up almost half of all millennials -- with @placeholder accounting for nearly 25% of them and growing at the fastest pace -- this is an opportunity you can no longer ignore.