Anaylin

My name is Anaylin Cortez, but everyone usually calls me Annie. My major is Criminal Justice. I am from Southern California and just to be more specific it is an hour away from Los Angeles.  It is called Montclair if anyone was really trying to know. My sense of place was at my high school in the ASB room (Associated Student Body). I miss being there with them even if doing homework or painting posters. I made such amazing friends that till this day, even as we all went our own ways we still manage to text and call on the phone. They make me feel like an important person that I am supposed to be and basically feels like home to me. When moving about 8 hours away from home is kind of difficult but I am really excited for Chico to become my home away from home.

I have hobbies as everyone else, one is I like to write poetry but I’m not that good but I did enter a contest on Instagram but sadly I did not win but here’s what I submitted, “You destroyed me inside and did you even care? You said I was the only flower in your garden but that was a lie. You were craving some other love that was going to cure your aching soul.” I personally just write randomly as in whatever environment I bring out paper or notes on my phone. I write about really sad things or experiences I’ve had in the past. Another is I like to sing and dance, they both give me a relief off sings sometimes. For example, I dance a lot of hip-hop so that is what I do. I recently tried out for the hip-hop dance team on campus called Envy but I did not make it but I hope next semester to try out again and make it.

My favorite food is spaghetti or sushi. I have such a love for sushi when I tried it about two years ago. My favorite color is blue as it would be a typical color. I am about 5’7, I am a pretty tall person but not really tall. I sometimes am upset being tall because I want to wear heels without looking like a giant. I am Mexican-American, my mother is from Nayarit, Mexico. I am proud to be a first generation student and I am thankful for my mother to have come into the United States while being pregnant with me, to have a better life and education. She is my biggest motivator on why I am attending a four-year university.

---

Guadalupe

My name is Guadalupe Gutierrez, and no I don’t go by anything shorter, although most people just call me Lupe for short.  Growing up in Ventura I learned to love the ocean because it is so close. When I am home you can always find me at the beach, either I am swimming, running, or just hanging out with my friends there. Chico is the complete opposite from Ventura, there are no beaches here and there’s like twenty Dutch Bros here which I never heard off until I got to Chico. Although Chico is so different from my hometown, I think it’s such a beautiful place to live and I know that I will learn to love it.
I am the oldest of three children, I have a sister who is just one year younger than me and a younger brother who is four years younger than me. Although we always fight and annoy each other I do miss them. Seeing them every day to not being able to see them until Thanksgiving is going to be really hard for me. I also live with my two amazing parents, who are the most important people in my life. If it wasn’t for my parents support I wouldn’t be here today writing this blog. I owe everything I am and have to my parents, they shaped me into the person I am today. They always encourage to follow my dreams no matter how big and when it came to attending college there was no exception. Both of my parents migrated to the United States for a better life, they sacrificed everything for me and my siblings, I am so thankful for that. My parents are the most hard-working people I know, although they do not have a lot of money they always made sure my siblings and me always had everything we needed and even spoiled us a bit. They have taught me that most important things I know today, the value of hard work and a great education. My parents didn’t attend college and me attending college is such a big deal for them, I am not just here to further my education, I’m also here to show my parents that all their sacrifices did pay off.
Besides my family, I spent a lot of my time with my friends and my two cats: Toby and Luna. My friends and I are really close, we shared everything from food, clothes, to laughs. I am especially close to my best friend, we been together since six grade and I love her to death. Like most teenagers me and my friends never have money, so we usually always hang out at the beach because it’s free. We always go hikes too, movie nights and bomb fires are also pretty common things in our friend group. We also have an obsession with sushi, Kibo Sushi that is our to go place. The people who work there know our name because we are always there. My friends are also first-generation college students and I am so proud of them. Although I miss them so much I know that they are doing great things.

---

Salma

Hello, my name is Salma Tacuba Dimas. I was born in Berkeley, California but I was raised in the city of Richmond, California. Although I was born in the United States I identify myself as Mexican.My parents are both from Mexico so that is how I am of Mexican blood. I come from a family of five. I am the middle child of three and the second member of my family to go to college. I am where I am today because of my parents who I am very thankful for. My parents are both undocumented and this has negatively impacted all of our lives. Growing up my sisters and I have not had the opportunity to have everything that we wanted due to the fact that my parents aren’t able to have the best jobs that that they could. Although it has been a struggle for us we have always pushed through our lowest points together. Neither of my parents got the chance to attend college, because of this I have watched my parents struggle financially. This is what has pushed me to go to college and do something with my life and create goals for myself. I not only want to have a good life for myself but I also want to be able to give back to my parents in the future for everything that they have done for my sisters and I. I am very thankful for them and they have made me into the young determined woman that I am today.

To pursue my career I chose to attend Chico State University. Coming to Chico it was a big change for me environmentally. I was born and raised in the Bay Area so when I came to Chico State it was completely different. Where I come from there is much diversity unlike here at Chico where there is not. Upon arrival, I was culturally shocked. Since it is my first year here I haven’t got the chance to completely make Chico ‘my home away from home’ but I hope that eventually I can get there. It has led me to feel out of place but I am slowly adjusting and finding my place at the school. Being away from home is also something new for me and is something I am slowly getting used to. Currently I am about three hours away from home, this may not seem too far to others but in my opinion it is far enough for me . I went from seeing my family everyday to whenever I can go back home, this can take a couple weeks or even months but I’m glad I made this decision, it will allow to become more independent and make wise decisions by myself. By attending Chico State my goal is to get into the Nursing Program to pursue my career of becoming a Nurse Midwife. I have always loved the medical field and enjoy being with and around babies, this is how I knew this was the career for me.

I tend to come off as very shy person at first but once you get to know me on a deeper level I can be a very fun and happy person to be around with. A little bit about me is that I’m about 5’1 which is pretty short , love the color blue, hate seafood, and my favorite food is pozole but I only like it the way my mom makes it. I love going on new adventures with my friends, enjoy eating lots of food, and just have a good time in general no matter what it is that I am doing. My friends and I are really close, we can tell each other anything and can count on each other for whatever because we will always have each other’s back. I do miss them very much but I know they are doing great things.  I believe that I’m a very friendly person and I am excited for what the future has in store for me here at Chico and I hope to create friendships that will last a lifetime for me.

---

Valeria

Hello, my name is Valeria Perez. I am from North Highlands, Ca, in Sacramento county. I am currently undeclared, I haven’t found my “calling” yet but I know Id like to be able to give back to my community with whatever path I choose. The City of Chico really reminds me of home, not only do we have an abundant amount of trees in Sacramento but we have friendly welcoming vibes as well.

Growing up in a big city like Sacramento there were a couple of places I enjoyed spending a lot of my time around. There were a few parks I grew up around, they were close enough to where I could spend most of my evenings climbing trees, playing tag, swinging on the swings or monkey bars, and even resting under shady trees. Areas around Downtown Sacramento were also my favorite go to places. I enjoyed the beautiful site of the state capitol, an amazing park surrounds its grounds perfect for a picnic. I loved to walk alongside the American River while also strolling through Old Sacramento. Another spot I learned to love while growing up was the Roseville Galleria or Arden Mall, even if I didn’t shop it was still comforting. I could remember how almost every Sunday after church my parents would take my siblings and I to the mall, just to walk around and eat at the food court. I guess when I was younger it wasn’t really the stores that attracted me but the delicious aroma of the food from the court. As I grew up and had earned my own money to spend, my interests of the mall become gravitated towards the actual stores. I earned my money from my job, another place where I spent a majority of my time after school and weekends. These spots are all places where I created relationships with new people, and where I found myself to feel most comfortable.

Leaving home was not easy at all, it was made difficult due to having to leave my family behind, all my close friends, and just leaving Sacramento. But I knew what I was doing and I was ready for change, my curiosity overruled my fears. I am a very positive person, I enjoy change because I understand that it’s inevitable and essential for a better living. My hobbies consist of hanging out with friends, hiking, exploring new places, eating good food, painting, sleeping, and watching movies or shows. I tend to come off as a very shy person when meeting new people but once you get to know me in a deeper level you’ll have a hard time trying to get me to shut up. I believe that I am a very friendly gal, I avoid conflict to the best of my abilities by communicating efficiently. I am very open to new things and excited to see what this new chapter in my life has in store for me (:

---

Joanna

My name is Joanna Ramos and I was born and raised in Modesto, California. Moving to Chico has been one of the hardest things for me ,but I also know that it will be one of the most life changing things for me. I am the first out of eleven kids in my family to go straight to a four year college straight out of high school. My adjustment to Chico has been somewhat hard, but now easier considering that I have friends. I was culturally shocked when I got here also, because I didn’t see anyone who was my color and I didn’t see any of my food. So, this was one of the hardest things for me in terms of being away fro home. along with that, I’m in college caring for myself since my parents cannot afford to support me in college.

My favorite color is Yellow because it is bright and warming kind of like my personality. My favorite meal of the day is breakfast because it reminds me of one of the happiest times of my life of when I use to eat with my dad. I would wake up early every morning around five just to be able to do this with him. It’s easy to notice that I am a daddy’s girl, but also very family oriented. I love to eat as well as cook which I always had a passion for growing up. Instead of watching kid shows even though I loved Caillou, I would much rather be watching Rachel ray cook. I would also spend more time I feel like watching the food network and watching how certain recipe’s were prepared. I also love to watch Netflix and socialize with people, I love meeting new people because I feel like everyone is their own individual and their’s so much to know and I want to give myself the opportunity to have achieve a more open mind about ideas.

When I was young, I found out that I did  have an enjoyment for politics which is why I chose to study Political science and get my bachelor’s degree in it. One day, I hope to attend Law school and become an attorney. If I do not pursue that route, I will most likely be found in a city council in some city. I hope to one day be able to run for President, although that’s more of a  far reach and less of a passion. I feel like my history teacher’s in high school actually gave empowerment to achieve great things in life. My minor is going to be women studies and I hope to join some movements for the empowerment of woman.