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6.2 Ego Support
I have had a deaf group or friends since elementary school. However, one of my deaf friends has been friends with me since we were little. He always supports me and is there for me when I am at my lowest or hanging out. For example, if I did not get a job, he would cheer me up by going out to get some Starbucks or whatever. In addition, no matter if we are arguing over stupid stuff, In return, I would do the same thing for him. I believe he is a good person to be friends with. -
3.2 Abstraction
Real versus ideal, true versus false selves: I used to be very shy and have low self-esteem about myself, which was unattractive. Since I have always been bullied about my looks, I also had to be with my bullying deaf friends since there was a small deaf program in hearing school, which is worse. There are sometimes ups and downs with my deaf friends. They think I am fine and have a happy, perfect life, which is not true, and I just did not show my emotions. I just put a happy face on them. -
6.1 Parent adolescent conflict
I remember being in conflict with my parents and understanding that I am half Mexican-American, and I know how Mexican culture is strict and has expectations of family. For example, when I want to go out to hang out with my friends, my parents give me a time limit to come home early. Since she cares about me and makes sure that I am safe, another thing is that if I want to go out or something, I would have to do the chores for our house first before I go. It kind of prevents my autonomy. -
2.1 Maturational Timing
I started puberty late, when I was thirteen years old. My body had not changed until that age, too. When I first got my period, I was really upset and did not like it. Then my body started to grow spurts like breasts and height. I remember being insecure about how tall I was and uncomfortable with my growing breasts. I was very worried about how I looked and my body image because I thought I was unattractive. It was not a good experience with that phrase. -
3.1 Social Cognition
My personal fable is that when I was thirteen years old and I lost one of my loved ones, it was my mom. I was heartbroken and shocked because I did not expect that to happen sooner. Also, I did not know that she has a serious illness, and I just thought it was just sick. It was so hard. I thought my dad could not understand how I feel because he seems to think it looks easy. But now I know it's difficult for him too, since he is trying to be strong for me and my siblings. -
7.1 Transition to High School
Once I first enrolled in high school, I felt so excited and in a new environment because I felt grown up. I started to get involved in more activities than in middle school. such as playing basketball and ASL Club. Also building relationships with the coaches and the teachers. I remember my teachers telling us and helping us with the expectations of the future and where I wanted to be after graduation when I was a sophomore. Like going to college or going to work directly after. -
3.3 Social Comparison
In high school, when I was a freshman, I joined basketball and made it to the freshman team. There are different levels of groups that they have, such as junior varsity and varsity. Therefore, my coaches told me that I have natural skills and wondered where I learned them. Also, the coaches wanted me to play on both the freshman team and junior varsity. I admitted that I used to feel so confident and thought I was better than everyone on my freshman team. -
6.3 Loneliness
Sometimes I feel lonely when I am in a mainstream class with no deaf people and on the basketball team, too. Everyone was talking and laughing around me, while I was just sitting and being quiet, not knowing what was going on. I felt like I could only talk to the interpreters, but I wanted to have the conversation with my peers. Therefore, I can feel related and learn new things from peers' perspectives, find the same things common, etc. -
2.2 Nichie-picking
In order to select the three nichie-picking environments, active genotype-environment correlations and nature traits. I was a shy young adolescent, and at the same time, I was naturally good at playing any sport. Then I discovered my passion was basketball, and I love it, so I started playing basketball in high school for four years. I recall my coaches saying I am naturally good at basketball and have the skills. -
7.3 Extrinsic Motivation
In high school, I think I had extrinsic motivation because I just wanted to get good grades, so that way I could not disappoint my parents. Also, if I do, i will get ground, for example, for not going to basketball practice, and my coach would say that, too. When the teachers give rewards, such as a free ticket to a movie or giving us snacks if we did a good job on a test or assignment. -
8.1 Rite of passage
I grew up being exposed to Mexican culture since I am mixed. When I was fifteen years old, in Mexican culture, we would celebrate the quinceanera because it showed that we had entered womanhood, purity, and a willingness to marry in the future. It is similar in America when you turn sixteen years old, and they celebrate you becoming an adult. Therefore, I did a quinceanera for my birthday, and it was a great experience. -
1.1 Entering Adolescene
I remember that I went through a growth spurt when I was eleven or twelve years old, and at that time, I was about five feet five. After I turned 13, I started going through puberty. My body and appearance began to cause me emotional ups and downs. In high school, I remember begging my parents to get braces for me when I was complaining about how dissatisfied I was with my teeth, even though they didn't think I needed them. Undoubtedly, it is my biggest insecurity. -
4.1 Gender intensification
During my high school years, I did not like to wear feminine outfits, and I liked to wear tomboy outfits because I felt more comfortable in them than wearing femininity and being myself. I remember one of my friends asking me why I did not dress like femininity and pressured me to change it because it would look pretty and nicer. That is where I feel like it is kind of rude. I believe it is gender intensification because it showed that my friend conforms to society, and I feel pressure from it. -
1.2 Emerging Adulthood
When I became an emerging adult, I enrolled at Gallaudet University at the age of 18, and I lost my identity. I did not know what or how I wanted to be, and I was trying to find out. Since I used to play basketball in high school for four years, it has impacted me differently now that I am not playing basketball anymore.The COVID struck, and I'm glad it did because it forced me to look inside myself and take some time to reflect. -
7.2 Transition to college
When I enrolled in a deaf college for the first time in my life, I felt overwhelmed and exposed to deaf culture. See divergent people from different states and internationally and be able to make new friends. In addition, I am more independent because I live far away from my family, which is in California, and I do whatever I want to do. I like it because I feel like I live in my own world and learn new things around the campus, people, and myself. However, college can be stressful, too!