15 Must-Have Items for College Students from Latina-Owned Shops

It’s officially back-to-school season and you know what that means: it’s time for school supplies shopping! While it can be stressful, it can also be fun to look for items that will help you return to campus in style. So often, there is a tendency to get the same supplies as everyone else when this is a good opportunity to express and take pride in your culture. Especially when you go off to college and are put in a new environment where you can feel like an outsider. It’s also a good chance to support Latina-owned shops like Cafe con Leche and Hija de tu Madre. Whether it’s a Latina Scholar sweatshirt or a cute tote bag, you’re sure to bring a new sense of fun and excitement to the back-to-school season, all while bearing your Latina pride. Read on to learn more about 15 stationery items that college students need to grab for this year’s back-to-school season.

Manifest It Mija Pen – Artelexia

This beautiful pen from Artelexia is a must-have staple for your pencil case this year! It comes in a purple shell with “Manifest it Mija” written in gold with star decals. Featuring a clicker at the top of the pen, it writes in purple ink with a fine point, perfect for annotations and note-taking. It’s also available in other colors and styles including pink, green, red, and blue. Located in San Diego, they also have an online shop where they sell a wide selection of Mexican-inspired art, accessories, and clothing, much of it is made by local artisans from Mexico.

Manifest It Mija Pen, $4, available at artelexia.com

Metallic Shimmer Highlighters – Cafe Con Leche

To round out your pen collection, you gotta pair it with a highlighter – a must for all those class notes. This is an eight-pack set of highlighters from Cafe con Leche in different metallic glitter colors. Their shape is good for holding and dragging across the page, and they also won’t roll off your desk. Whether you’re annotating your latest class readings or studying for an upcoming test, these highlighters will make the work that much more glittery and fun. Just be sure to shake the markers before use and store them horizontally in your desk drawer or pencil case! Cafe Con Leche is a bilingual stationery brand founded by Jessica Haywood who felt like Latinas weren’t represented in stationery. You can also find notebooks, cards with positive affirmations, and notebook inserts all celebrating Latinas.

Metallic Shimmer Highlighters, $10, available at cafeconleche.com

Latina Printable Day Planner – MujerConAfro

If you like planners but don’t want to carry around a bulky notebook in your backpack, MujerConAfro offers the perfect solution – a one-page planner! These daily sheets feature different sections for every aspect of your everyday life including a mood tracker, goal setting, reminders, appointment organizer, movement tracker, water intake, meal plan, gratitude list, call list, doodling and sketching, and to-do list for tomorrow. It is available as a PDF download that you can print at home or at an office supply store and use to organize your life. Keep your collection in a folder so you can take the pages out and look at all you’ve accomplished! All of the items from this shop are heavily inspired by the owner’s Afro-Latina roots and passion for representation and community.

Latina Printable Day Planner, $2.50, available at etsy.com

Educated Latina Cup – DareToDreamShopp

Calling all cafecito (or tea) lovers, this glass cup from Dare To Dream Shopp is both useful and motivational. This clear glass cup can hold 16 oz and features a permanent vinyl printing that reads “Latina Educated Powerful Proud” in pink font. The cup also comes with a plastic straw and a wooden bamboo lid. For best results, be sure to gently wash by hand (not by dishwasher) and to completely dry the bamboo lid. Perfect for working from home when you need a little pick-me-up AND a reminder that you are a poderosa. For even more cuteness, check out their full shop on Etsy, where they have other Latina-inspired cups, individual glass straws, and crewnecks to pull the whole look together.

Educated Latina Cup, $17.10, available at etsy.com

Latina Scholar Crewneck – LatinaGradGuide

Wear your Educated Latina pride on your sleeve – literally. Pick up a beautiful crewneck from LatinaGradGuide that features the words “LATINA SCHOLAR” in bold white lettering. It is made out of cotton and poly fleece, features a rib knit collar with spandex, and already comes pre-shrunk. It’s a loose fit too so it’s perfect to throw on before you go to the gym, run to class, or even take with you to bed as a pajama top! We also love that this shop is dedicated to supporting Latinas in education, particularly Latina moms, also offering daily planner printables and Academic Mamá crewnecks.

Latina Scholar Crewneck, $36.99, available at etsy.com

Latina Educada Poderosa sticker – SkullzNBowsCreations 

If you love putting a sticker on any surface that can hold one, you need the Latina Educada Poderosa sticker from SkullzNBowsCreations. The sticker features the words “Latina Educada Poderosa” in different brown colors with a glossy, scratch-resistant surface and an adhesive backing. Ready to place on your laptop, planner, mirror, phone case, water bottle, and just about every other surface you can think of! Depending on what you’ll put it on, it comes in four different sizes including 2″ x 2″, 3″ x 3″, 4″ x 4″, and 6″ x 6″. You can also choose if you want a transparent or white backing when you purchase. The shop also offers so many other amazing sticker looks based on different themes including Halloween, graduation, and mental health awareness.

Latina Educada Poderosa sticker, $3.96, available at etsy.com 

No Me Importa Notebook Set – Hija de tu Madre

Hija de tu Madre has always been dedicated to empowering Latinas and having that showcased in their products including this three-pack notebook set. The red features the words “Hija De Tu Madre” in white with red cherries, the green reads “Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana” in pink, and the blue features a bright yellow smiley face with the words “No Me Importa” in black. Measuring 6″x8″, each notebook features thread binding, 80 college-ruled lined pages, and soft covers ready to throw in your backpack. One of the most popular Latina-owned shops today, Hija de tu Madre offers an array of accessories and clothing uplifting Latinas.

No Me Importa Notebook Set, $28, available at hijadetumadre.com

Latina Power Planner – Chicka & Co

If you’re looking for even more space to organize your school schedule, be sure to pick up this planner from Chicka & Co that’s literally got Latina pride written all over it. This spiral notebook has the words “Latina Educated Powerful Proud” printed in beige on a hard off-white cover, along with images of plants on the bottom. Each page spread features a week at a glance with space to record your weekly focus, weekly goals, notes and doodles, and to-do lists for each day. The best part? It’s undated so you can start using it any time and it’s also a great gift since it’s something you can use at any point. Be your most productive self this year and display your pride while doing it. Chicka & Co is an online shop selling clothing for the “modern hippie” that also sells office supplies celebrating la cultura and Latinas including a Frida notepad, a “Proud Latina” notepad, and a “Mija, you got this” to-do list booklet.

Latina Power Planner, $15, available at chickaandco.com

Educated, Orgullosa, Strong Latina Bookmark – OhSoLatinaShop

Book lovers

This book-length bookmark features a white background with icons of rainbows, bows, hearts, lightning bolts, flowers, books, and stars, as well as the words “Educated Orgullosa Strong Latina” in pink, orange, purple, and blue text. It’s double-sided and laminated so it won’t get bent or folded no matter how many times you use it. This is also a great gift if you have a fellow student friend who loves to read and wants to embrace their cultural identity. The shop also has other great items to help you feel your best in the classroom including stickers, glassware, tumblers, and tees with Spanish phrases.

Educated, Orgullosa, Strong Latina Bookmark, $3, available at etsy.com

Latina Power Tote Bag – JZD

We love this cotton tote bag from queer Latina-owned lifestyle brand JZD, which reads “Latina Power” in pink cursive text on an off-white background. Measuring 14″ x 14″, there is plenty of room to hold your laptop, books, and stationery supplies. There’s even a pocket inside for your phone and other daily small necessities. Perfect to carry on your shoulder to class, the gym, your favorite coffee shop, and other spots around campus. Started in 2016, all of JZD’s merch is designed to help Latinas feel more connected to their roots and carry it with them everywhere they go.

Latina Power Tote Bag, $32, available at jzd.com

First Gen Latina Short Sleeve Tee – DaleLatina

To all the first gen Latinas, this one is for you and it’s also a great way to help you connect with other first gen students. This is a plain white short-sleeved tee with black lettering reading “First Gen Latina” and it’s perfect for the first day to give you that sense of empowerment. It also makes a great gift for a new student or recent graduate who wants to show off their educational accomplishments in style. Made out of 100 percent cotton, the shirt comes in a loose unisex fit but feel free to buy a size up for even more comfort. We also love all of their other t-shirt offerings that uplift us as the daughters of immigrants and by our jobs like doctors and teachers.

First Gen Latina Short Sleeve Tee, $22, available at etsy.com

Cositas Bonitas Pouch – EspyzStudio

Don’t forget a cute case for all of your pencils and pens! This pouch from EspyzStudio is made out of durable canvas and reads “Cositas Bonitas” in bold purple lettering on one side of the bag. Featuring a canvas hook on a metal zipper, it’s also perfect to carry around your make-up, accessories, and other daily necessities like lip balm and hair ties. It’s small size makes it perfect to drop into your backpack or tote bag. Pull it out during class and everyone will be sure to ask where you got it so you can support a Latina owned biz and make new friends.

Cositas Bonitas Pouch, $13.50, available at etsy.com

Mija, You Got This Notepad! – MISfitted

Always forgetting things? Lacking motivation to get things done? We love all of MISfitted’s notepads for all of our productivity needs! Based in New Jersey, this shop is your go-to for all Spanglish stationery, stickers, shirts, and totes. This pad reads “Mija, You Got This!” in purple text and features a checkered purple background, pink lines, and the MISfitted website on the bottom. Measuring 4.25″ x 5.5″, it’s perfect if you need to make a to-do list on the fly or want to make some doodles during a break in class. It comes with 50 pages that can be torn away and folded to put in your bag for later. Let’s get this done!

Mija, You Got This Notepad!, $8.50, available at etsy.com

Sueña Con Todo Tu Corazón Latina Backpack – Chingona, Inc.

If a tote bag isn’t for you, we found one of the most spacious backpacks from Chingona, Inc. to carry all your text books and paperwork. Available in purple polyester, the front features a unicorn design, hearts, stars, and the words “Sueña con tu Corazón” in white and black lettering. In addition to all the space on the inside, it also comes with an inside pocket for your laptop, a hidden back pocket for valuables, and two zippers. The material is water resistant and it has padded straps so you can be comfortable even when you’re carrying all of your heavy textbooks. Latina graphic designer Viridiana Osio is the founder and the woman behind the colorful and fun aesthetic.

Sueña Con Todo Tu Corazón Latina Backpack, $58, available at chingonainc.com

Goal Setting Worksheets – MujeresOnTheRise

If you need even more help organizing your life, be sure to check out these goal setting worksheets from MujeresOnTheRise that’ll help you stay focused. This is a 20-page guide is made to help set you up for success with promps and worksheets. Each page is designed to help you map out your life and long-term goals, identify your fears, and break down big goals into small, actionable steps. The worksheet set is available to download and print at home and is designed to adapt to your unique lifestyle and dreams. Based in California, the shop also offers other organizational products for those of us who need all of our planning in one place including spiral-bound and softcover notebooks. Melba Tellez, the founder of Mujeres on the Rise, also hosts a podcast and a resume building course.

Goal Setting Worksheets, $12, available at etsy.com