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All I Gotta Do Is Trust

Zocalo — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 07:01:37 +0000

I practice cheer every day after school. I’m a flyer, and they toss me up. All I gotta do is trust. By the time I’m at the stop on my way back home, it’s already 6 p.m. I start school at 8 a.m. I have long days, but I love them.

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I’m Such a Nerd!

Zocalo — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 07:01:41 +0000

I’m meeting my boyfriend at Union Station. We meet here every day after work and take the train to our apartment in Highland Park. It’s a great neighborhood, but it’s becoming a little more difficult to live there. It was really hard for my partner to realize that the place where he grew up and where his family lives is a place he can barely afford.

When I’m on the train I like to read nerdy fiction novels. I also collect TAP cards. The designs are so beautiful. I’m such a nerd!

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I’m Preparing for a New Chapter in Life

Zocalo — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 07:01:17 +0000

I want to be a paralegal. I went through the court system and was treated unfairly, so I figured I might as well learn my rights. I went to jail. My public defenders didn’t care that I was innocent. I am currently living in a substance abuse facility. I’m sober now. I’ve got two more months to prepare myself for a new chapter in my life.

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I Needed to Come Here to Dream Big

Zocalo — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 07:01:13 +0000

I came to L.A. to pursue my music career. I had a band in Mexico called 60 Tigres, but I felt that I needed to come here to dream big. My music is very diverse, but I go for raw-alternative and classical.

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I Miss Costa Rica, but the Pastries Are Better in L.A.

Zocalo — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 07:01:33 +0000

I’m a pastry chef student at Le Cordon Bleu. I love to design cakes and play with colors, flavors, and textures. My dream is to go back to my home country, Costa Rica, and open my own restaurant or bakery. I moved to L.A. two years ago, when my whole family moved here. I miss Costa Rica and my friends, but the pastries are better in L.A.

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I Came Here for a Better Life

Zocalo — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 07:01:34 +0000

I’m a welder. I build fences. I started the job in 1983. I didn’t know anything about welding, but I worked hard to learn and become good at my job.

I’m originally from Mexico City. I immigrated to Los Angeles 39 years ago, searching for a better life. The city has changed so much since then. Sometimes when I get off the bus, I walk by MacArthur Park. It used to be dirty and crime-infested. Now it’s clean. You see families playing with their kids. It’s beautiful.

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I’m 25 Years Old and I’ve Found My Calling

Zocalo — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 07:01:34 +0000

I’m a nurse at a rehabilitation center. I give medication to patients, transfer them to beds, and keep them on track with their daily treatments. I’m only 25 years old, but I’m thankful I’ve found my calling because I love my job.

I used to drive to work, but apparently I’m not one of those people who is car smart. I didn’t know you had to have oil in your car. I thought you only needed gas. So I basically blew up the engine, the transmission, and all that good stuff.

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I Can Read Walking, Standing Up, Sitting Down

Zocalo — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 07:01:57 +0000

I feel like I got a bachelor’s degree in English by reading on the train, or at least I became an expert on sociology. I’ve read Rousseau, Marx, Gabriel García Marquez. I’ve read about politics and economics. And I’ve read screenplays, and everything in between. People started noticing me because they always see me reading. I can read walking, standing up, sitting down. I can read any way.

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I Work at Pink’s and My Favorite Dog Is the ‘Lord of the Rings’

Zocalo — Mon, 30 May 2016 07:01:16 +0000

I work at Pink’s Hot Dogs. My personal favorite hot dog we make is the “Lord of the Rings,” which has onion rings and a lot of BBQ sauce. But we are famous for our chili cheese dogs. I just started the job, but I’ve already met someone famous: T.J. Thyne from the TV show Bones.

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These Are My Friends

Zocalo — Mon, 23 May 2016 07:01:43 +0000

I work at a day center for developmentally disabled people. I hang out with them, we do arts and crafts. I feed them lunch. Sometimes I change diapers. I help them throughout the day. It definitely takes a lot of patience and is pretty taxing, but all in all is very rewarding as well. Sometimes they have bad days and sometimes they have pretty good days, like any of your friends, and these are my friends.

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