The first talent I discovered was drawing. It all began when I saw my father drawing. I enjoyed looking at the way art would be created. I was amazed that by using your time wisely you could make a beautiful masterpiece. So, I decided to follow what he was doing and began to come up with random ideas. When I would show my father he would be very proud that I have tried my best. He would be upset when he would see me give up easily. He would always tell me that it's not that it isn't good enough, it's just still not complete. Now I understand what he meant by that. I still continue to draw and I can see the process I have made.

 

The second talent I discovered was dancing. Another form of art, that has always brought our family together. My mother has always loved dancing, so she decided to teach me how to dance to cumbias and slow songs. Surprisingly, I learned quickly. From a young age, I really admired the way she danced with so much joy. (Still, till this day when she dances, she has a joyful smile.) Therefore, I wanted to do the same, I wanted to smile and move joyfully as she does. So I took the time to practice and began to discover the movements I could do and couldn't. I discovered that I wasn't flexible and it frustrated me. When I entered dance class in high school, there were many times that I wanted to drop the class for that dumb reason. Although I took the time to stretch, I would see no progress and wanted to give up dancing. Then I talked with my mother and brothers and they counseled me told me that I was a good dancer and that not every dance movement revolved around flexibility. They told me to come up with unique movements that capture the audience's attention and to keep it simple. Therefore, I decided to take their advice and I began to gravitate towards Hip-hop more than contemporary or jazz. Once I became a Christian, I felt content with my lack of flexibility and any type of dance genre that came my way I would be grateful. I am happy that I now realize that I am a very talented and creative dancer and I no longer will shy away from showing the talent I have.

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My last talent is singing. To be honest I did not know I could sing. My mother says that I definitely got it from my father. From what I remember, my father would always sing in the mornings when he showered. He had a lovely voice that was so soft and peaceful. He was also very talented. Unfortunately, he got stage IV cancer. Things began to change and we no longer heard him sing as often because he was becoming weak. There were moments where he would suddenly get out of the bedroom and tell me to dance and sing with him, to not worry about him but to celebrate all the good things about this life. When he passed away in April of 2016, I would spend my time alone, singing in my bedroom the songs he would sing. Then I began to grow up and I realized that death is normal and instead of living in sorrow I had to move forward. I decided that I was going to continue singing...  

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