Generation n.

MEET YOUNG LEADERS AND STARS WHO ARE HEADING THE NEW LATINO REVOLUTION

Generation n (pronounced EN-yay) is the Latino world's answer to Generation X. These Latino up-and-comers are assuming leadership roles in everything from politics to space exploration, and stamping their distinctive mark on the American landscape.

YXTA MAYA MURRAY

A novelist and law professor living in Los Angeles, Murray, 30, has written about female gangs and the Mexican-American boxing scene.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA 

The son of Mexican immigrants, De La Hoya grew up in a rough neighborhood of East Los Angeles. He admits to having been afraid to throw a punch to defend himself as a child. Then he grew up. De La Hoya, 26, fought 31 matches without defeat, earning the World Boxing Council Welterweight title.

CARLOS CARDONA

To help his father understand computers, Cardona, 25, began organizing Spanish-language content on the Internet. The result was Yupi.com--an Internet portal that has become the most visited Spanish-language site on the Web.

RICKY MARTIN

"Living La Vida Loca" pretty much sums up Martin's career. The 27-year-old Puerto Rican star joined the Latino group Menudo at age 12. Since then, he has sold over 15 million records worldwide, and is hailed as the performer who has become the face of the Latino explosion.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ

The Dominican-born American short-stop made history as the first 40-40 Infielder in major-league history, hitting 40 home runs and stealing 40 bases in one season. A high school baseball star, he was a first-round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners, and holds the record for the most home runs (42) by a shortstop.

MARIA ECHAVESTE

As the President's deputy chief of staff, Echaveste, 45, is the highest-ranking Latina in White House history. She made her name as wage-and-hour administrator in the U.S. Labor Department, taking on the garment industry during the Clinton administration's fight against sweatshops. Coming from a family of California farm workers, she understood firsthand the problems of low-level workers.

REBECCA LOBO

The 26-year-old basketball star has helped make women's basketball a primetime sport. The 6-foot, 4-inch forward led the University of Connecticut to the college title in 1995 and was a member of the 1996 Olympic women's basketball team that took the gold. Today, she is a premier player for the New York Liberty in the Women's National Basketball Association.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN

The daughter of a Cuban mother and an Australian father, O'Brien, 33, is a popular correspondent-anchor for NBC News.

MARC ANTHONY

The son of a Puerto Rican guitarist, Anthony, 30, was born in New York City, where he was discovered at age 12. By the time he was a teenager, Anthony was writing songs and performing with such groups as the Latin Rascals and Menudo. In 1995, his album Todo A Su Tiempo went platinum overnight.

SAMMY SOSA

Dominican-born Sosa, 30, is the Chicago Cubs slugger who was named the National League's Most Valuable Player of 1998. That year, Sosa and Mark McGwire battled to set the home-run record, with McGwire hitting 70 and Sosa 66. They almost did it again in 1999, when McGwire hit 65 and Sosa 63.

CHRISTY HAUBEGGER

creator of Latina, the first bilingual mass-market magazine for Hispanic women, Haubegger, 31, is of Mexican descent.

LORETTA SANCHEZ

Sanchez, 39, blasted onto the political scene in Orange County, California, in 1996, when she defeated conservative, nine-term Republican Congressman Robert K. Dornan. A financial analyst who never before had held public office, Sanchez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants.

ELLEN OCHOA

The first Latina astronaut chosen for the space program, Ochoa, 41, was born in Los Angeles. She has flown on three space-shuttle missions.

SANDRA CISNEROS

Novelist and poet, Cisneros, 44, is the author of The House, on Mango Street. Her work draws heavily on her ethnic background as the daughter of a Mexican father and Chicana mother.

BENJAMIN BRATT

Of mixed Latino-Indian and German heritage, Bratt, 35, gained prominence on TV in the role of "Ray" Curtis on Law and Order. He has also appeared in The River Wild and other films.

JENNIFER LOPEZ

Her career began as a dancer, gaining attention as a "fly girl" on the TV show In Living Color. These days, Lopez seems to do it all, making movies as well as CDs. Lopez, whose family is from Puerto Rico, played predominantly Latina roles as she broke into acting, beginning with the title role of Selena.