From her vantage point in New York City, CNN news correspondent Maria Hinojosa can see as many ethnicities as exist in the United States. But she sees only Americans.

The award-winning journalist noted for her insights into the Hispanic community said she grew up feeling like the "other," but the "us against them," or "real Americans versus new Americans" mentality is changing as immigration and diversity increases.

"This is an America that is extraordinarily different from the America of 100 years ago," she said. "The challenge is to simply open your eyes, open your mind, open your heart and understand you can't turn back the pages of history."

Besides her work at CNN, Hinojosa currently anchors Latino USA, a weekly NPR program on news in the Latino community. She previously hosted Visiones, a public affair talk show on WNBC-TV in New York and was a National Public Radio general assignment correspondent. She also produced CBS This Morning, We Stand with Walter Cronkite, The Osgood Files and Newsbreak, all on CBS.

Hinojosa received the Ruben Salazar Award, which recognizes outstanding journalists, from the National Council of La Raza the same year Working Mother magazine named her one of the 25 most influential working mothers in America. In 1995, Hispanic Business magazine named her one of the nation's 100 most influential Latinos. She also has received the Robert F. Kennedy Award for journalism excellence, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Radio Award, the New York Society of Professional Journalists Deadline Award, an Associated Press Award and has been honored by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.