being a daughter to 2 Salvadoran immigrants meant being submerged into my culture from a young age & being a native spanish speaker, which meant feeling out of place and uncomfortable when I was in any situation in which I didn’t see people who looked like me.

I had a hard time in school because I had to learn English on my own and my parents didn’t have much of an academic background, so they were not able to help me as much as they would have liked to. It was like we were all learning together.

I knew that the process of learning English and navigating my way through school was not going to be easy, but I had to do it in order to help myself and my family. I also had to help out my younger sister, just so she wouldn't have to go through the same difficulties on her own

I was fortunate enough to have teachers such as Daniela Espino @danielaa_espino, Robel Espino, and Jesus Moran @JesusMoran to help guide me along the way. they taught me the importance of pushing through a system that wasn’t built in our favor.

When I was learning English, I became a very essential person to my family. I was usually translating for my family from reading papers, books, answering phone calls, paying bills, and so much more. I was always the go-to person when they didn’t understand something.

I often have a habit of wanting to write in Spanish or have trouble exactly translating what I want to say in English. Being bilingual has also taught me to be persistent. I feel like this has shaped my writing because I'm constantly learning more and more along the way.

I have learned to take on challenges and push through them because of this. I have been able to become persistent when it comes to anything. I tell myself that if i’m able to learn a new language, i can accomplish anything that i set my mind to.