A True Texan

Throughout high school, I participated in many extracurriculars. I danced until I was 16 years old, then I joined the JV, and later the Varsity, cheerleading squad. I was on student council, serving as Homeroom Representatives, Student Advisory Committee, and senior year the Student Body President. I was involved in Junior Statesmen of America, French Club, Key Club, National Honor Society, National French Honor Society... I was always busy. But in my free time, I still enjoyed time with my family exploring Houston. Once I was driving, I realized how much traffic Houston had, because of how huge it was. There were days that it took me an hour and a half to get to school. And if I stayed late at school, I was definitely in the rush hour traffic. My new high school friends introduced me to many more parts of Houston. I would go out to eat with them, and we always tried new places all over Houston. Whether it was the Montrose area, Sugar Land, Highland Village or the Galleria Area, I was seeing places that my parents hadn't even known of.

One of my best memories of high school, was the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It is one of the biggest highlights of the year. For approximately 3 weeks in March, Houston hosts the world's largest livestock exhibition and millions of people attend the carnivals and concerts. In high school, we would all spend our days at the carnival, eating fried oreos and corndogs, and then going to see country music bands perform at Reliant Stadium. This arena is not like any other--it lives up to the statement "everything is bigger in Texas." With over 71,000 seats, the place is amazing during a concert. I will never forget the nights that my friends and I spent together there.

When applying for colleges and universities, I knew I wanted to stay in the south. I applied to schools in the SEC and Big 12, because I love football. I ended up coming down to 2 choices-- Ole Miss and Texas Christian University. I had visited both and loved the atmosphere of each. Most of the statistics and characteristics of the schools matched up, so my decision ultimately came down to location. I couldn't handle the thought of moving 9 hours away from Texas. I had to stay here. I needed my country music, my Tex-Mex food and the non-existent winters. I have never regretted my decision. I am only 4 hours away from the best city in Texas... and Fort Worth is in a close second!

Deep In The Heart

As I grew up, my family went on tons of trips. Whether it was to Galveston, only 45 minutes away, or to Ecuador, we were taking pictures all along. My dad's obsession with capturing moments from our lives was sometimes embarrassing but I understood where he was coming from. He told me he wished he had all the memories from his childhood captured, and that he was hopefully doing us a favor. And now I understand, because now I can remember all the fun times we had together. My sister and I were always the focus of my parents. Sometimes we fought, because we were so close in age, but everyone in my family loved each other.

Houston is one of the largest cities in the nation. It is super diverse and multifaceted... there's one thing for sure though--there's never a shortage of things to do.

My family would visit Space Center Houston, the Houston Zoo, Hermann Park, the Houston IMAX & Museum of Natural Science, George Planetarium, The Houston Galleria, Children's Museum, Astrodome, Toyota Center, Houston Arboretum, Downtown Aquarium, Kemah Boardwalk, and Moody Gardens-- and that's only some of it. I have great memories of all of these spectacular places. Each restaurant and shop you go into is filled with friendly Houstonians. 

My grade school was near my house, and most of the students that went there lived right around me. I did not think Houston was "thaaat" big just yet. But with every year that passed on, I explored more and more of Houston. My freshman year of high school I was introduced to 249 other girls at my all-girls college preparatory academy. Girls at this school were from all over Houston--encompassing 15 zip codes. I thought it was crazy that I was driving 30 minutes to school, but there were some girls who traveled 2 HOURS. I was just beginning to realize how diverse Houston was. I wasn't overwhelmed at all, I wanted to meet new people. Once I found out how big Houston was, I then realized how small it was. Everyone was connected. Friends who knew your friends from middle school, parents that went to the same colleges--Houston was one huge network. 

Other than the girls I met at my high school, I met people from some of the other Houston high schools. Of course, each high school had a different reputation. But it was interesting to see how these stereotypes played out. Houston became some sort of huge encyclopedia to me, full of information. 




Here are a few fun facts about Houston: 
Population - 2,099,451
43.6% of the population is Hispanic
Beyonce Knowles, George Foreman, ZZ Top, and Vince Young are all from Houston
Nickname - "The Bayou City"
Houston is recognized worldwide for its energy industry--particulary for oil and natural gas--as well as for biomedical research and aeronautics.
Houston has sports teams for every major professional league, except the National Hockey League. 

A Long Time Ago...

There was a little girl born on July 15, 1992 at 10:20 p.m. It was me :) My parents were, of course, more than thrilled to have me--I was their first born. They took me home just a couple of days later to a beautiful, typical suburban home. But our family wasn't so typical. My dad emigrated from Ecuador to Houston in order to attend the University of Houston. My mom was from Chicago, IL. And both of my parents were fluent in Spanish. My family was not 100% sure of the "Texan" lifestyle. We didn't own a ranch, and we definitely didn't all own cowboy boots...yet. Well, we did love Tex-Mex food.

Anyways... On December 11, 1994, my family received another present--my sister. This time, it was me who was thrilled. I was a big sister! I waited patiently with my babysitter at home for my parents to bring back Victoria, and when they did I wouldn't stop paying attention to her. I was my mom's #1 helper; always assisting with diaper changes or bringing food and utensils to the table. I was meant to be a big sister. My parents even bought me my own dollhouse, so I could practice handling a household. I spent countless hours with the FisherPrice Dream Dollhouse, if I wasn't helping out with my sister.

My life at home mostly consisted of playing with my sister, watching The Lion King or playing with my dad. But when I turned 3, it was time to enroll in dance classes. From the very beginning, I was IN LOVE with dance. I begged my mom to take me, even on days when there was no class. Recitals and costumes filled my thoughts and dreams.

My childhood was great. I had two amazing parents that allowed me to explore cautiously, a babysitter that took care of me and my sister on days my parents had to work (she even began to teach us some Spanish), and of course the great environment that is Houston, TX.