PROMPT: Beyond your impressive academic credentials and extracurricular accomplishments, what else makes you unique and colorful? Provide us with some limited measure of your personality. We know that nobody fits neatly into 500 words or less, but you can provide us with some suggestion of The Type of Person You Are. Anything goes! Inspire us, impress us or just make us laugh. Think of this optional opportunity as Show and Tell by proxy and with an attitude.
When you hear the term "Latina," what's the first thing that comes to mind? A loving woman who prepares amazing meals for her family? Or a loud obnoxious party girl who loves to drink and dance? A young pregnant girl at sixteen? A high school drop out? Or a woman who has no choice but to become a maid?
Fortunately for me, I am not any of these things. Well, unfortunately for me I do not know how to cook without burning something and I have no rhythm whatsoever.
Sure, I am well aware that I am not the only Latina in the world who has broken these stereotypes. But how many Latinas do you know that have a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, can they play three instruments,and has a passion for science she feels no one can top?
Ever since I was young, I was told that it is okay to be curious. I was raised by two people who always answered my questions and told me to never be afraid to ask. It was my curiosity that led me to trying new things, and taking risks. As I grew older, I became intrigued with music. I asked my parents if I could take piano lessons, guitar lessons, violin lessons, and singing lessons. They said yes. While unknowingly attempting to become a musical prodigy, I also became fascinated with Tae Kwon Do. Over the years, this form of martial arts became more of a passion instead of a hobby, and I can proudly say, much of who I've become today came from the lessons learned during karate.
I was at a point in my adolescent life where I was truly happy with myself thanks to my productivity. Apart from the dreaded homework assigned in school, I continued to eagerly attend all of my classes and attentively absorbed everything I was taught.
It was not until one day, that things started to go wrong. My parents decided to separate. Not only did this come as a huge surprise to me, but as a result of their separation I could no longer attend any of my classes. Financial issues as well as constant fighting meant I had to give up on what I liked doing the most. It seemed as though suddenly no one wanted to drive me to my classes nor had the money to pay for them.
With my father no longer living with us and my mother always working, I spent much of my time alone thinking, wondering what I should do with my life. I had plenty of opportunities to go out, party, and do drugs. But I chose not to. Did I really want to become another statistic? No. I realized that in order to succeed, I had to make certain decisions. I decided to make goals for myself, and I'm proud to say that because of my experiences, I've developed into a strong, independent, goal-oriented person.
