WE ARE ONE Fall 2021 | Page 19

 Je parle francais. Yo hablo español. I speak English. I can say shield in Italian. As you can see, I’m a man of many words. “When you look at me,” (-Dexter Hom) totally not taking this from an autobiography I just read, you may see a guy. And that guy may say hi, but probably not. When he says hi, you’ll say “oh, what a guy” and then you’ll run away and cry… but you won’t. Oh and I want to learn Hindi. 

As you can see, there may be something wrong with this guy, or maybe he just doesn’t know much about what to write. Anyways, I (this guy) was born and raised in San Francisco. I’ve been told that to be able to live here was a privilege, and up until recently, I didn’t know why. 

San Francisco has many opportunities available for people, being part of the Silicon Valley which has many big businesses (mostly connected to technology) set up here. Being raised in San Francisco also has the benefit of exposing you to diversity at an early stage, which would theoretically help you be able to socialize more (it’s no good if you’re racist) and show you that there are many types of people in this world. You can see a lot of different people in San Francisco if you go to different neighborhoods. For example, Japantown will most likely have a lot of Japanese people because of its history. Living in the Excelsior district, I normally see a lot of Asian and Hispanic people, although it doesn’t have a name like Japan town or Little Italy since the percentages aren’t too diverse. 

I may live in the Excelsior District, but I used to go to a school in the Western Edition, about an hour away on a bus. Now I’m a Freshman at SFSU, which is also far away. I’m currently majoring in mechanical engineering, but I’m not confident in my choice. What I am more confident in is that I’ll likely stay in the STEM field, and I want to help people. Even if I don’t know what I want to do, in the next five years, I hope to be finishing my bachelor’s degree in something I enjoy if I haven’t finished already. But for now, I’d like to keep living life like I currently am… sort of.

My current lifestyle is comprised of school, work, watching YouTube, community service, messaging, and hanging out with family (I’m lucky in that respect). I also enjoy playing video games when I can. You may ask, “Why do you play video games?” and the answer is pretty simple. To pass the time with friends more comfortably. This doesn’t mean that I don’t like socializing with them in person, but it is more comfortable in a sense that you’re not in public (like in a bus) and that you’ll almost always have something to talk about. The main reason I watch YouTube is to be entertained when I’m bored, but I also feel connected to some of the creators as a person, and that can be a valuable thing. 

 My immediate family is comprised of my mom, dad, younger brother, and sister, but I live with my auntie and uncle and one of their sons. My parents, uncle, and auntie all originated in Mexico, but they moved to the US for better opportunities to support themselves and their family. My family has been very caring for me throughout my life, and I appreciate them because of that. They have also helped me a lot when I have injuries. I specifically mentioned injuries because I have a chronic condition called Hemophilia, which essentially means that my blood can’t clot as fast as a healthy human being’s and tends to make my injuries worse.

Being part of YouthLINE is still a new chapter in my life, one that I’ve grown comfortable in. It is my first real job and it’s continuously been teaching me skills I need to succeed in whatever career I choose. For example, my communication skills have improved. Being a close-knit group, my communication skills have been developed, especially since everyone’s voice is valued.Wherever my future takes me, I know I’m prepared..

19