What do you like doing in your free time?

I like playing piano, making bracelets and baking. My sister also showed me how to play the clarinet.

Nice! Is your sister going to be in the marching band next year?

 Yeah, she’s going to join the marching band next year and she’s going to play the clarinet!

What’s your favorite subject? 

Probably Spanish, because it’s a better class. I really like the teachers that I’ve had in the past, and I feel really connected with both of them, so that definitely made the subject easier on me. 

Who did you have? 

I had Ms. Muñoz for junior and sophomore year, and Ms. James for freshman year. They’re really nice. I think that people are biased, but most of the people who say that  probably don’t listen to them or do their work. As long as you do what needs to be done then the class is easy.

How do you feel about being section leader for the flutes?

I really really like it. It’s my first year being section leader for the flutes and now we have more people. Last year, the senior left and I thought I was going to be all by myself.

Are there any TV shows you like?

I really like watching Shameless. My favorite character in the show is Ian.

What inspired you to compete for Miss Cardinal?

Other Miss Cardinal contestants always seem so confident in themselves, even if they don’t win they’re always there.

 How would you say a teacher describes you? 

I’m really close to Ms. Wagner, now that I’m her lab assistant. I would say that she describes me as creative, resilient, helpful and kind. I really like helping out Ms. Wagner and I would say she’s helped me so much and just pushed me to be where I’m at today.

What in particular motivates you?

Something that motivates me is my future. I know my family struggles a lot, Not financially, butIi know they struggled to get me where I’m at today. I don’t want to see all their efforts go in vain and I want to make them proud.

What do you say is your greatest talent?

Well, I’m really patient, you know like I mentioned before. Making bracelets and different types of baking, you have to be really precise or else it wont get fully cooked. Or if you put too much of something, it’s gonna not turn out good so I think that I’m really good with being precise and being the most accurate as I can.

Who inspires you in general?

The person that most inspires me in general is my mom. Although I appreciate everything that my dad does for us, she’s always at home and she’s helping us in extracurricular activities or making sure that we get where we want to go.

What are you mostly grateful for?

 I’m really grateful for the connection I have with my family. I feel comfortable enough to go with them whenever I need help or if I’m struggling with something, they’re there and I don’t feel judged by them. So I’m really grateful for that connection with them.

So how have your grades been throughout your high school years?

They were good in my freshman year, but they definitely did go down in my sophomore and junior year. But I realized that I wouldn’t be able to get the career path I wanted if my grades kept it up. I got closer to God, started studying more towards my career and got straightforward to what I want. So now they’ve been very good and I got back my 3.0 GPA.

What do you think will positively influence your position?

For Miss Cardinal, something that I really want to focus on as Miss Cardinal would be including our non-English speakers. I know a lot of people that get discouraged  to join different activities from certain clubs because of the language barrier, and I also know a lot of English speakers that don’t have the courage to talk to them because of the same language. I want to positively, you know, encourage people to make friends and to join clubs, and maybe me as Miss Cardinal being bilingual, I can help with that. I think that they feel discouraged because they can’t speak it, and they like, get embarrassed and I really want to help them with that.

How do you handle school stress, or like stress in general?

Stress is really hard, especially as you go up grade levels. Something I really like doing for stress is journaling. I love writing down my feelings and I think that it could help many people. After writing my feelings I like to highlight certain things and slowly work on it. Something else that works for me is talking to people, like my mom or friends, because holding stuff in me like that isn’t good for me.

What do you think about your competitors?

I’m really grateful for the girls that I’ve gotten to meet. Maybe I’ve seen them around, but even if I hadn’t got to talk to them. They’re so nice. I love them. They all have so much sweet intentions and I’m really grateful for the friendships that I’ve been able to acquire. You know, also the boys. You get to know them better, and that really helps me, because I’m not really too good at making friends, but having people there makes me feel more comfortable. Oh my God and for the interview I’m like, we’re doing an interview last minute?? And talking to them has made me more calm, and vice versa. We’re there for each other, and I really appreciate them.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Five years, I see myself hopefully finishing up my career and nursing minor in psychology and school is really important to me, but family also is. So in five years, I see myself still being there for my sisters and for my mom, for my dad one day, and hopefully moving in somewhere nice.

What do you want to major in?

 I want to major in nursing. I specifically want to be in the NICU, which is now an intensive care unit for babies. I want to be a nurse practitioner. It usually takes four or six years, depending on the master level you need, but for NICU you usually need four to five.