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Did your parents and grandparents go to school? To what level? I didn't exist yet.
both my paternal and maternal grandparents didn't go to school at all. They were raised on a farm and learned to live out of their farms. My parents on the other hand had higher education levels. My mom graduated from college, and my dad finished high school and decided college wasn't for him. I never understood why. That man is so "naturally" smart. Just like all of his sisters. My dads side of the family is full of geniuses. All of his 8 brothers and sisters have at least one PhD. -
The bedtime stories your parents used to read to you? 2 yrs - 9 yrs old
My mom would always read little kids bible stories, for me and my brother. I loved when my mom use to read to us. Her way of bringing life to the characters was simply amazing. She would read to us until we fell asleep. -
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When did I learn to read? To write? Who taught me? 4-5 years old
I was 4 years old attending my first year at kindergarten. After a few months in class I told my mom the teacher was being mean. My mom listen to me and and decided to take me out of kindergarten and take me to her first grade class. (My mom is a teacher.) I learned how to read by the age of 4 going on 5. My mom was the one that taught me how to read and write. By 5 I was able to read like her first graders and write small sentences. -
What did your family read at home? 5-13 yrs old
when I use to live with my mom, she used to always read to me and my brother parts of the bible before going to bed. After she read to us we used to share what we learned about the reading, and do a little prayer before we went to bed. -
How important did your family think reading and writing was? 5 yrs old to present.
My mom always made sure I read everyday. I remember she would always tell me that reading was a way to exercise my brain and keep it healthy. Thanks to my mom I learned to appreciate reading and writing. Since I didn't learn English until I was 13 almost 14 I don't really enjoy reading or writing in English. But I do love to read and write in Spanish. -
How did you get access to books? 6 yrs to present
Books were always around me. My mom had a small library of books in our home. I used to try and read the books she had but sometimes they were hard for me to understand. My mom also bought me a new book once a week. once I moved away I didn't have access to many books and stopped reading a lot. I loved to read. And I still enjoy reading, in Spanish. I'm still working on my English. -
Did you learn to read by studying the back of a cereal box? 7 yrs old
No, I didn't learn to read by studying the back of a cereal box. But I do remember practicing my reading by reading the back of cereal boxes. I loved to read and do the games the cereal boxes had in the back. -
Which books were your favorite? 10 yrs old
As a kid my most pride possession was a kids bible my aunt got me for Christmas. I use to read my bible every single day. It had beautiful pictures. I still have that Bible, and I still love it. The bible has many pictures, but it also contains a lot of writing. perfect for kids 9 and older. -
Reading a religious text? 10 yrs old
After I got older my mom used to have me read to her whatever I wanted from the bible. I enjoyed reading to her, because she would always help me if I got stuck and didn't understand a word. This helped me a lot. Because as I was reading new words I was also learning what they meant. -
Do you have memories about playing “teacher” with your friends? 8 yrs old
Yes! Since my mom is a teacher I feel that influenced me. Ever since I was little I would tell my mom I wanted to become a teacher just like her. And I still do. I would pretend to be a Spanish teacher and my friends were my students. If they did their homework I would give them smile face stickers as a reward. -
What did your family write on a regular basis? 12 yrs old
my mom spent a lot of time writing and preparing for her classes. When I was old enough, (around 12) she used to have me help her with her work. I was in charge of making quiz questions about subjects she had taught her first graders. (she obviously would go over those questions.) I loved helping her, and enjoyed spending that time with her. -
Can you remember anything that your relatives said about reading? 13 yrs old
My aunt Sarai (my dads sister) Used to always tell me and her daughters when we went to book stores to pick out books with meaning. Books that would enrich our brain with knowledge. Not books that were filled with fantasy or fiction, because to her those are simply a waste of time and brain. I always took her advice, because she is a super intelligent woman. Who loves to read and learn. It's no surprise that she is fluent in 6 different languages. -
Your first Facebook page? 13 yrs old
I was 13 yrs old when my sister in law helped me create my first Facebook page. I probably only had like 20 people as my friends for my first year, since I didn't know anyone. ( I had just moved here from Mexico.) Facebook reminded me the other day about a status I uploaded in 2013, I laughed so hard when I realized I didn't spell anything right on that status. -
Have you ever felt illiterate? 13 yrs old
Yes, my parents were married but lived in different countries. My mom lived in Mexico and my dad lives here in the USA. I lived with my mom until I was 13. Then we decided it was best for me to come and live with my dad. My first day of school was the hardest I didn't know much English, I felt dumb and scared. I went home with a huge headache that first day. -
What kinds of reading and writing activities did you learn and do in English classes at each level of your education. 14 yrs to 16 yrs old
In 8th grade I was learning how to read small children's books, because I didn't know English. By the time I got to 9th grade I was placed in a regular 9th grade English class, were I learned how to format and write essays. By 10th grade I was placed in accelerated English, this is were I was learning how to expressed my self throughout English writing, and have more freedom with my writing style. -
Have you ever written a love letter? 14 years old
Yes, yes I have. I wrote a letter to this cute boy I met in 8th grade. He was the first friend I made here in the US. He sat next to me on my first day of school. We became really good friends, and I started to really like him. I wrote him a letter in 9th grade telling him how much I liked him and how cute I thought he was. He responded with another letter asking me to be his girlfriend. It's been 5 years since then and we are still together. -
How you prepare—or not prepare—to write a paper? 2012 to present
When I have to write a paper, and I find myself struggling a lot, I will usually write down my ideas in Spanish, and then translate my ideas to English. That really seems to help me. Because it is easier for me to express myself in my first language. -
Which books have you read on your own and enjoyed? 17 yrs old
"El viaje de Parvana" (Parvanas Journey) I seriously love this book. This book is the only book that has ever had me feeling all sorts of emotions. I literally did not put this book down, until I finished reading it. It had me crying, tears were rolling down my eyes when I was reading this book, I felt angry and everything in between. I highly recommend you to read it. It is so good. I will forever love this book. -
What pieces of writing were your most successful? How do you measure that success? 18 yrs old
My personal narrative. I was was accepted into all the college I applied to and received many amazing private scholarship because of that essay. It made me feel good that I was able to put a little piece of my life on a piece of paper and receive scholarships because of it. -
The first video you made and uploaded to YouTube? 18 yrs old
The first YouTube video I made, I was very nervous, and my makeup skills were still not the greatest. I still have that video and I just cringe when I watch it. I rushed throughout the entire video and it was simply a no no.