My Story in 500 Words

Spanish was the language of my childhood. 

I would look at my mom, fear in my eyes, as I tried to translate from Spanish to English when out in public. Words and language were the pinnacle of my household. 

My mother never doubted the importance of stories. The Spanish picture books of my childhood, transformed into more complex novels read under the hot North Carolina summer sun. Books were fought over in our family. We traded them amongst each other the way other kids traded baseball cards. 

However, I came to realize that words could mean one thing to one person, and something completely different to another. 

I grew up in the shadow of a brother with autism. For him, language is black and white, a concept I could never fully grasp. 

Overtime, I realized that was the beauty of it. Language holds different meanings. Language is moldable.

Eventually, the importance of language shifted into an admiration of prose. 

At the age of eight, I typed out short stories about princesses on my grandfather’s old typewriter.  

At the age of thirteen, I wrote theatre critiques for the Blumey Awards in partnership with the Charlotte Observer.

At the age of sixteen, I took a summer intensive at the School of the New York Times, dedicated to the craft of screenwriting. 

At the age of seventeen, I wrote a love letter to my Cuban heritage, gaining me admission to multiple universities. 

My thirst for writing brought me to High Point University, where I am pursuing a double major in English and Journalism. When I tell people this, their response is: “You must do a lot of reading and writing.” 

I do, and I love it.  

My writing, which has always taken a more creative approach, transformed into a passion for academia. Under the mentorship of English and journalism professors, I have carefully honed my craft and my voice to produce work that I am proud of. In April, I will be attending an academic conference where I will be presenting my own piece of literary criticism to a room full of scholars. 

I couldn’t be more excited. 

Throughout my life, I have switched my chosen career path countless times. My dream of becoming a screenwriter transformed into a profession grounded in the art of journalism. Then I wanted to become a travel writer, a lawyer, a novelist. While my dreams may have shifted, the backbone did not. Everything I wanted to do was grounded in writing. 

It wasn’t until my junior year of college, that I realized where my true career was headed.

Book publishing.

Being able to combine my love for reading with the meticulous craft of copyediting, has now become the end goal. 

From an early age, my mother instilled in me the power that words have. Whether I am conversing with my family in Spanish, or presenting a paper at an academic conference in English, I have not forgotten how words and language have shaped who I have become.