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Birth
On the eve of Thanksgiving in 1999, the doctor just barely caught me as I came flying out of my mother like a Cuban missile just before noon in Yonkers. My dad nearly missed my birth as he was outside smoking with my grandpa. My mom always says it was the best and most peaceful Thanksgiving of her life; she rested all day with me, not having to deal with seeing any family! My grandparents brought her take-out food for Thanksgiving. The nurses at the hospital called me Pikachu for some reason. -
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Jill Pino's Life
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First Day of Kindergarten
I was very shy as a child. I was an observer and didn't speak up for myself. So, when my teacher put me on the wrong bus home on the first day of school, I didn't say a thing! I was sitting calmly, wondering where on earth I was going. I remember the bus driver asking "Is there a Jill Pino here?" Being quiet as I was, I just nodded, not realizing the bus driver couldn't see me nod. When I finally got off the strange bus, my parents were worried sick, but I was just happy to be a kindergartener! -
Almost Going Blind
I went to my brothers baseball game and I was having a grand time throwing balls on the sidelines with all the other players' siblings. Suddenly I felt the worst pain in my life square in my eye. I dropped to my knees and screamed at the top of my lungs. I screamed the whole way home. I don't remember much of the night after that. I just remember missing school for weeks and going to the (awful) eye doctor a lot. It wasn't until a few years later I found out I almost lost my sight in that 1 eye. -
My Dog Sarge
For some reason, I was scared of dogs as a kid. I have no idea why. When I was around 8 years old, my parents decided it was time I got over my fear. So, they ordered a dog. His name was Sarge because his whole litter was named after the cars from Cars. The goldendoodle puppy flew here from his breeder in Kansas, and we picked him up at JFK. I was horrified at first. Once we got home, i realized he was harmless. Sarge is 10 years old now. He lives for going on car rides and getting bones, -
My Dad's Retirement
My dad was a police officer in White Plains for 20 years. One night in 2008, he was in his police car when a drunk tow truck driver hit his car. After that, he couldn't work because his back, neck, and shoulder were messed up. His retirement was a blessing in disguise because now he was home to take care of my newborn little brother. My dad became a stay-at-home dad and I got to spend so much more time with him. Before, he always worked nights. After the accident, I got to see him all the time! -
Becoming a Big Sis
One night, as my mom picked me up from basketball practice, she broke the surprising news that she was pregnant. I was 9 years old and at first I hated the thought of it. But, I quickly came around and was so excited to have a sibling around every day, because I would only see my older half brothers on the weekends. I remember going on baby naming websites and looking at Babies-R-Us.com all the time. A part of me was sad I'd no longer be the center of attention, but that feeling quickly faded. -
My Big Catch
When I was younger I played travel softball. It was a big deal. Looking back, it's kind of stupid how seriously everyone took 10 year old girls softball. Anyway, I wasn't the best player. I was put in the outfield for a big playoff game. I wasn't even paying attention when a line drive came my way. Surprisingly to everyone, I caught the ball. My catch saved the game. All the parents and players from both teams congratulated me on my big catch. The catch was the highlight of my softball career. -
Sucking at Math
The first time I ever did bad in school was in 4th grade when it was time to learn long division. I remember having no idea what was going on as the teacher taught and all the other students seemed to know what they were doing. I felt so helpless. My teacher had to have an intervention with my parents and I because I was struggling so much. To this day I'm still awful at math. No matter how hard I try, I just don't understand it. It's the one class I've always struggled with, ever since grade 4. -
My Extra Bone
In 5th grade, I hurt my foot playing basketball. When I went to the doctor, he told me I was born with an extra bone in my foot called an accessory navicular, and while playing basketball, the bone got popped out of place. I spent a year on and off crutches before we finally decided to get the surgery that would remove the bone. After the surgery, I was on crutches for another few months. I remember I was on crutches for so long that kids at school thought I was faking my injury! -
Skiing
In middle school I thought it'd be fun to learn to ski. I joined the ski club and everything. I quickly found out that I hated skiing! After just one lesson, I thought I was good enough to go down the mountain by myself. I remember getting off the ski lift and realizing I didn't know what to do. I just stood there, and then the next ski lift came and hit me in the head! Then I slipped and slid my way down to the bottom of the mountain as people laughed at how bad I was at skiing. Never again! -
Beginning of Junior Year
The beginning of Junior Year was the worst. I would burst into tears for no reason in the middle of doing my homework. I cried just thinking about college and the weight of junior year. I had no self confidence and was always anxious. I also felt like I had no friends. My mom was so concerned about me that she took me to therapy and had my doctor put me on anxiety medication. I only had to go to therapy twice because the anxiety medication helped me so much. I just had a chemical imbalance. -
End of Junior Year
By the end of junior year, I was a new person. I was way more confident and less anxious than I was at the beginning of the school year. I really came out of my shell and no longer cared what people thought of me. Over the course of the year my views of the world were shaped. I made many new friends junior year, found new interests, and started doing more extracurriculars. I think junior year was a very formative year in my life. I started the year depressed, and ended the happiest I've been.
