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Birth
I was born at exactly 3:00pm. "I went through almost 20 hours of tremendous pain for you" my mother has told me countless of times throughout my 17 years of life. I am the first born child to be a girl and I am second of three girls in my Rivadeneira side of the family. My parents didn't know what to name me, but they eventually decided to name me after the hospital nurse that was there for my mom during my birth. Nurse Amy was really excited when my parents told her they named me after her. -
Lost at an Ecuadorian Festival
Every year my family and I would go to a festival that celebrated Ecuadorian culture, it was my favorite time of year. I was playing with my friend on a swing set a bit away from the crowd, After awhile I decided to look for my parents, but they were nowhere in sight. There was at least 700 people in front of the stage and my 4 year old self started freaking out. So my friend told her dad, before I knew it I was in the middle of the stage with a microphone in my hand saying "Mom where are you!" -
Rafael
I was five years old when my brother was born and I can easily say it changed me in more ways than one. Once my parents told me I was going to be an older sister, I told everyone that I knew. My parents wanted the gender of the baby to be a surprise, but we all secretly wanted the baby to be a boy. Luckily, our hopes came true. Bringing my brother home for the first time is a day I will never forget, I never left his side. I was always watching over him. I have never been so happy in my life. -
How I Broke my Nose
I was home alone and so over watching reruns of Spongebob. So I grabbed my bike and started riding up and down my hill. Thinking I was a professional, I thought it would be a clever idea to go down my hill with my eyes closed. I knew that if I did I would impress my cousins. The wind was blowing my hair back as I flew down the hill. But then my face is crashed onto the rear of my uncle's car. I think I passed out for a bit. I picked myself up and felt the blood all over my face. -
My First Time in Ecuador
Going to Ecuador for the first time was an emotional experience. Going to the town my dad grew up in was a special opportunity I was waiting to experience for years. I met family I didn't know I had, I met my dad's life long friends, I was even able to see the high school he attended. During the trip I was fortunate enough to see a More emotional side of my dad. It was a humbling experience for the both of us, and the first of many trips back to Ecuador. It's my favorite place in the world. -
Confirmation
I am raised in a religious household. So getting baptized, doing my first communion was just something I had to do, getting confirmed was no different. In 8th grade, I started questioning my religion, which was something I couldn't tell my parents, or my abuelita. Abuelita is the glue that keeps my whole family together. After much self deliberation I decided I would get confirmed, for her. She does so much for me I knew it would make her happy, and it did -
Nose Job
I was anxious the night before, but I sure as hell was not going to back out. I've been waiting for this moment for too long. I watched hours of nose surgeries on youtube and I did hours of research leading up to this day. What was supposed to be only an hour and half worth of work, it turned into almost three. My mother- who was already a nervous wreck- was taken aback when a nurse approached her telling her my nose needed "more work than expected." Eventually, I woke up, 10 hours later! -
New Visions
New Visions is a course at BOCES for students who plan to work in the medical field. After a very long process, I finally got approved to have an interview with the teacher of the program. But I went to Ecuador, and missed 2 weeks of school. I didn't think my absences would affect my chances of getting accepted, but they did. I was no longer able to have the interview and I was unable to apply to the program. It was hard to accept, but I became more responsible after the experience. -
Becoming a Medical Assistant
I attended BOCES my junior year of high school. I went from 11 to 2 in the afternoon, 5 days a week for 10 months. I learned an incredible amount during my time there and I am now a Certified Medical Assistant. Many people were surprised I decided to take such a rigorous course, it motivated me to study more and work hard to learn & get the most out of the experience. I was the only person in the Health Career building to be from BHS. The class confirmed my desire to work in the medical field. -
College
Ever since my older cousin was applying to colleges I began getting more and more nervous about college. I know what I want to be when I'm older but just knowing that college is less than a year away gets me nervous. The fact that I don't know what school I will be attending makes my head spin. The feeling of not knowing the next chapter scares me. I'm not used to not knowing whats going to happen, I like to plan everything out. How do I know if I am choosing the right school? So many questions.
