When I was in the second grade, my parents bought me my first diary. I honestly didn’t like writing and didn’t feel that I was very good at it either, but I wanted the notebook really badly because it was hot pink, came with a key and lock, and contained an image of Spottie Dottie on the cover. I begged my parents to buy it for me and may or may not have made a scene. At the time, we were on a tight budget, but my father felt that having a diary or journal was important. Drawing from experience, he told me that reflecting about life experiences was a good practice, and nice to read about looking back. So, after making me promise that I understood the purpose of a diary and would use it, they agreed to buy it for me.

My first diary

Because of my promise, the following year and thereafter I started documenting events that I considered noteworthy, life-changing, and important. Below are a couple of entries exemplifying this:

“Dear Diary, Today I feel relaxed. I’ll tell you why I feel relaxed: waell today I watched t.v. and am going to watch more and that I might go to Cosco and watch t.v. and eat samples.” (January 11, 2003)

“Dear Diary, Today I dropped a glass cup, and it broke!” (March 23, 2003)

“Dear Diary, Today I stayed at a hotel in San Francisco.” (July 5^th, 2003)

“Today we’re hanging up paintings and I might clean my room.” (September 6, 2014)

“Dear Diary, Today Arnold Schwartznegar called us! (He’s the governor.)” (October 4^th, 2004) (Though looking back, it was just an automated phone call).

I gradually began writing in my diary more and more frequently, eventually coming to a point where I found true enjoyment in writing, and soon started journaling about deeper thoughts and feelings, writing poetry, starting books, and coming up with short stories. Today, I have close to 50 journals and now consider writing one of my favorite hobbies. It allows me to express my creativity and essentially create something out of nothing.

Just as I was not naturally gifted or inclined to writing growing up, but became better and fonder of it through practice and experience, I likewise was not the best in soccer. As a smaller, shorter person playing against girls much stronger than me, I always felt that I had to prove myself to coaches and hold my own on the field. Girls would often call me derogatory names in regard to my size and race. Sometimes I would come home with bruises and cuts on my neck from taller girls elbowing and scratching me during soccer games. Nevertheless, I learned to see the challenges I faced in soccer as obstacles that I wanted and could overcome. For me, playing soccer came to mean much more than the physical game itself. It was a mental game, and it was all about being tenacious, staying committed to the sport, playing smart, improving myself, and defying expectations.

This is me during a CCS playoff game senior year. We later ended up winning the championship for the first time in our school’s history.

Moreover, being on a soccer team taught me many important life lessons, such as learning to value others and work together. In high school, my soccer team was assigned a new coach who during one practice forced me to keep doing sprints even though I reached my limit and felt ready to faint. Seeing this, some of my teammates came up to me and started encouraging me. They made sure that I drank enough water and even willingly volunteered to do my portion of sprints, which totally blew me away. We had played together on the same team for six years, and they were willing to make a painful sacrifice for me without expecting anything back.

Vania and me having a blast with Stefanía in Quito, Ecuador!

Through the care of my teammates, I learned the importance of caring for others, but soccer was not the only area in my life that opened my eyes to the valuing others and their situations. In high school, I attended service trips every year to different parts of the world in order to help communities in need and share the Gospel. Some of the places that I visited include Mexico, Nevada, and Ecuador. From building houses to visiting orphanages, each of those experiences transformed my understanding of the world outside of the Silicon Valley by exposing me to vastly different lifestyles, while challenging me to think about how I could make a difference in the world.

Hanging out with Derrick and Chloe in Duckwater, Nevada

My favorite memory comes from 2012, during my time in Skid Row. One day, I was giving flowers to homeless people. At one point, I made eye contact with an elderly Hispanic man sitting alone in the cold. I smiled and offered him all that I had with me at the time—a pink flower. In response, he smiled and said, “¿La rosa para mí?” I simply replied, “Sí,” handed him the flower, and then said, “Dios le bendiga.” We conversed in Spanish for some time, and before I left, he said something that moved me beyond words. In Spanish, he told me, “I will always remember you,” and he said that with the warmest smile that I had ever seen in my life. I replied, “La misma,” and walked away in amazement of our simple yet profound interaction. Even though I did not give him something material, he expressed genuine gratefulness and taught me to appreciate everything that I have, even the littlest things. He showed me that making a difference does not necessarily consist of huge, obvious acts of generosity, but that simply recognizing his existence as an individual with a unique name counts as equally important and meaningful. In that moment, God impressed upon me what I am to live for: serving and caring for people in need, because they matter and deserve better. This experience affected me so profoundly that I often tell this story to explain one aspect of who I am.

Giving a speech during Senior Chapel at my high school

I have always been one never to let fear stop me from doing what I really want to do. During my senior year, I ran for Senior Class President even though I never held a leadership position at school before. I was afraid of losing the race and putting myself out there. Even after receiving the winning vote, I still lacked confidence, but I didn’t want to let that stop me from pursuing the opportunity. I always strive to let my determination be greater than my fear.

Similarly, I started a chapstick company during the summer after my senior year. I didn’t know what I was doing or how to run a business, but I simply jumped in and decided to learn as I go. Fear of failing as a business owner definitely scared me, but I wanted to do it because I felt passionate about my product and ideas.

Viyu is the chapstick company that I started in July 2013.

I only slept a couple of hours each night that summer because I was so excited about making my website, product, packaging, and marketing as soon as possible. Every day, my head was constantly spinning with new ideas. Despite being afraid and making some mistakes along the way, being creative, adventurous, and hardworking in order to achieve my goals have always driven me to be an achiever, a doer.

Since graduating from high school, I have been interested in seeking ways to use my education and career path to make a sustained and positive impact on others. As a college student now majoring in communication with an emphasis on research and writing, I have taken these life lessons with me and continue to learn a great deal both inside and outside of the classroom that I believe will allow me to contribute meaningfully to society. As a Global Social Benefit Fellow, I am very excited to embark on a new journey that will allow me to combine my interests and strengths, and focus specifically on serving others through my skills.