hecticquarter-blog

[hecticquarter-blog]

Sarah Torress

The Questions/ Transcript What attracted you as a Mexican American Woman to vote for Donald Trump?

I never to ethnicity into account. Who I was surrounded by was really what affected my choice. My household was persuaded by our church which is predominantly white. We were taught that this was the right choice. Being one of two Mexican families we sort of felt outnumbered. It was like go ahead and vote for him.

Do you feel like America embraces you as a Mexican American woman?

I have always  felt accepted. I look more white than Mexican. I never felt discriminated against. It never really mattered since most of my friends were minorities. Having predominantly black friends. I didn't surround myself with really any other groups.

How does the way Donald Trump has conducted himself pre-election, and post-election morphed your ideas of him?

Before, I had never payed that much attention to politics. Especially when I had voted for him. Social media really opened up my eyes to how unkind he is. I feel disheartened that I had something to do with pushing him on that pedestal. I ask myself why did I let my church influence my choice. They didn't see the bigger picture, and how he deals with other things. It was the biblical side that was the main push. I was blinded. If I had payed more attention, and listened. But, if I do try to repost things against him then I am perceived as a hypocrite. I feel like his character is like a slap to the face. But, what can I do? All I can do is pray. God knows what he is doing, and it is just all based on faith.

Do you identify as a far right wing republican?

Going into adulthood I had realized my mother, and father both identify as Republicans. So, I assumed I was. I am a republican. It sucks for the rest of us that it is frowned upon to be one. I honestly hate politics, but I was excited to vote. I feel like it is my civil duty.

How is life like in the U.S. knowing that one of your family members is undocumented?

Pre-election I didn't really think about it. I am now very scared for them. It is so much different down there in Mexico versus life in the U.S. You don't see people being discriminated like they are here. It is humble down there. It really has made me want to move down there. I don't want my family who's from Mexico to experience feelings of being unwanted, or unsafe. But, at the same time I do feel like we are privileged being here in the U.S. No matter what color you are. We are free. I am living free, and they have to fear. It is sad how everything ended up.

Are you a feminist?

If someone stopped me on the street asking if I was a feminist, I would say no. I mean it is all relative. I am not at the top of being a feminist. Personally I think there are things men can do that women cant. Vice versa. It is just how we are wired. Men are stronger than women, but that does not mean I feel like women are inferior. Equality should be a thing.

Does Trumps rhetoric incite violence?

Nobody makes you do anything. I feel like people are responsible for their own actions. It did not have to turn violent. I think people went about things in a violent way. It is also a chain reaction. What people do provokes Trump to say something, what he says provokes them. Everything could have been peaceful.

What is the reaction from others when you tell them you voted for?

The night he won, I knew who I had voted for. I kept it a secret because I know how my friends felt. Seeing what they were saying, a lot was pointed out to me. My mother had always told me not to tell people who you voted for, because it could change their idea of you. I was scared, so I waited until the next day to tell them. Anything I would have said would have been looked down upon. When I told them they shut me out understandably. I was apologetic, and was disheartened. They told me I was naive, and stupid. I knew the reaction was called for. I thought they would be more understanding. I was very hurt.

What were the problems with Hillary Clinton that made her an attractive candidate?

Problems with Hilary had to do with abortion mainly. This is a big deal to me, and I was a part of rallies. It was that one issue, as well as the idea of having a woman president. Not for me personally, it was about how other countries would perceive a woman as president. I felt like they would laugh at us. See us as weak, that was not a reason for me not voting for, but it was just a side thought.

Do you regret your decision?

I do, because he is an idiot. The way he belittles my culture. If I would have known I would not have voted at all. My conscious is dirty, and I misunderstood a lot. I was warned and decided to close minded. I will forever regret it, until the day he lives office. It was selfish of me, my thoughts were selfish.

Do you have issues with Democrats ideas?

No, not really. I feel like a lot of young people don't understand being a Democrat or a Republican. I don't have a problem with their ideas. No Democrat has put down my beliefs, we just agree to disagree. No one has ever attacked those beliefs.

What should happen from now on to make America a more secure land?

Stop with the violence. It is not getting us anywhere, as we throw a punch and pull a trigger we all get angrier. People don't know what one another is for.Just what we are against. A self defense mechanism in a way, but we should be talking. Put down the fists, and the signs. Our first approach is hate, and turn the other shoulder. I am a realist not an optimist. But, in a perfect world we would have that mentality. One of peace, to be more comfortable.

What initially brought your family to America?

My mother came here for education, and now she has a masters and is a business owner. My father came here to work and just a brighter life.

How have stereotypes affected your identity?

Well, you have friends poking jokes. I get questioned a lot, like why aren't you dark. How come you don't speak spanish? It is like speaking spanish is what makes you Mexican, and it is not. It is about embracing it from the heart. They are people who assume I speak spanish, and not everybody was brought up like that. I am just normal, and people have expectations of what a mexican should be.

What choices would you make different?

I would have listened more, but still remain strong in my beliefs. If I could go back I wouldn't have voted for anybody. It is on my conscious now, and I do regret my choices.

Sarah Torress is an intelligent woman who is in touch with her emotions. She is young but knows what she wants. Someone who enjoyed elaborating on my questions, and was completely honest person with me. She is religious, and doesn't really like politics but decided to tell me the origin of her personal choices. We dove into the depths of her thoughts and it was not only a good interview, but really made me look at what I believe.

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[hecticquarter-blog]

Don Schrader

Don Schrader born November 20th,1945, lived on a farm in 1907 in Chicago, Illinois. He was top rank of his class out of 49 students. Don’s mother is everything to him she is the only person that will always love him and who will believe in him. She died in 1982 at the age of 74 of physical illness. Was pastor in 1964 in Chicago, Illinois returned to Albuquerque in October 20, 1969 decided being in a church was not for him. Has studied health for the past 42 years and will continue learning more till he dies. Don has spoken in 113 city council, he has spoken his mind. He spends hours putting a script together to make the perfect two minute speech. He had a TV show from 1982-2012 where he talked more about him. His modo is “treat others the way one wants to be treated (the golden rule).”

1) Why did you decide to stop paying taxes?

He has been 38 years without paying taxes “realized one can live under 4,946, and that’s what I will continue doing” Don said. “I live from what the social security people give me and haven’t spent any more. To keep track of my money I write down every penny I spend, since the year 2000. I left junk food in 1976, dairy in 1980, and cooked food in 1998. I realized that I needed to take care of my health and decided to eat healthy, know I just eat raw vegetables. And it’s much more cheaper.”

2) What made you not want to be religious any more?

Don is no longer religious and compares religion to Santa Claus “when we’re little we believe in Santa why, because we have some believe and because our parents have told us so, same with the Bible we believe what we read from the apostles. But with time we start to loose believe in Santa because we learn from what the world gives us and we loose believe in Santa same with God. That’s why I decided to stop preaching and start to live the best of life.” Now he is just a humble person that has love for everyone and is deeply ended with people. He is all about honesty and not putting yourself down.

3) Do you still drink ur urine? Why?

“ Yes, I have drank my piss everyday since November 10,1999. One to four cups of urine in the morning before my exercise. I do 300 push-ups , sit-ups, chin-ups every day. Then at night I go pee before bed. I decided to start doing this after I read Uribe Therapy, The water of life, and The golden fountain. This books inspired and thought me more about this urine therapy and the benefits of it. It helps with lots of illness and it helps the body protect it’s self from diseases because it has lots of vitamins , hormones, ensigns, minerals, and much more. I also drink smoothies that contains kamut flax seed, and other things.”

4) What would you want people that don’t know you, know?

“ I would want them to know I’m a true friend and I’m here looking for true friends, so I have lots of friendship to who ever wants it. I like to work for justice and peace. I want other to walk my talk. Lots of people will hate me in what I believe but that hate will never change me.And that I’m a citizen of the world.”

5) What are your thoughts about DACA?

“ I have always been a huge supporter of DACA my self, strongly support immigrant students.” Don like menu others believe that “we did not cross the border the boarder crossed us” and wants all dreamers to know he is with us 100% till the end.

[hecticquarter-blog]

Dr. Stephanie A. Padilla

The following interview I have conducted was on my dentist Dr Stephanie A. Padilla. The idea of interviewing a dentist for me was because I am interested in becoming a dentist as well, I wanted to understand more as an undergrad student in what I need to do and accomplish in order to head into the right path of becoming one. It is a lot of hard work and dedication and is a long path in order to succeed but it is worth it. Dr Stephanie A. Padilla grew up here in Albuquerque New Mexico. She attended La Cueva High School, graduated and went on to college at the University of New Mexico. From there she played for the University of New Mexico women's basketball team and graduated from UNM with a Bachelor of Science in Biology a minor in Spanish. She graduated valedictorian, both academically and clinically from Baylor College of Dentistry with her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. She received multiple awards for dentistry as well.

Dr Stephanie has always been a good student she always was on top of her work and received good grades. She was also very good at managing her time she was very busy between sports and class work. She loved to have fun and go out but she always put her school first, her mindset was there will always be another party and occasionally she would go out but she knew in order to fulfill her dream she had to put school first. As padilla was getting older she wasn't sure as to going into medical or dental school. She says that it is harder to get into dental school because there are less dental schools than medical schools and grades matter. She always tries to say that it is not the end of the world in certain situations because she says 70% of the time she will have children come in for a cleaning etc, and of course she has some patients who are greatly terrified of the dentist and she says that she does everything she can to calm them down and reminds them that we can get through this whether it's being at the dentist or being at school because in some scenarios as a student in college you feel that some things are the “end of the world” but they are not. People make mistakes and Padilla was telling me she made many mistakes before she graduated and some days she felt low and thought she was never going to get through this or make it but she did. This arose because I asked her about college life and classes and complications she came across.

As soon as she got into dental school she said it is really hard to flunk out of dental school unless you do extremely bad things, they hold your hand she said because they wanted to make sure you could do these things they asked because they chose you as a dental student you applied to be at their school and they accepted and took a chance on you. She did run into problems but she said she relied on her social skills to get by as well, she said having social skill is a must because communication is everywhere you go and as a dentist or dental student talking to others can help you in certain situations. Padilla stated that the top 20 best student of her class had the best “social skills”, and to this day she still talks to her dental school friends and some of them are oral surgeons, orthodontists and any specialty you can think of. To get into dental school you must take the DAT test which stands for Dental Admission Test, and Padilla says that Baylor probably chose her because of her social skills but your DAT scores are very important and your grades she says as well.

Her husband also attended the University of New Mexico and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and attended Baylor College of dentistry as well, that is how they met and are married and work together in the same office. Both Padilla and her Husband were very supportive of each other and pushed each other to better themselves and she said it was just good to have him because they made each other feel at “home”. She talks about marriage as there will always be battles you just need to learn to choose your battle and working together as a team she said there was some disagreement whether it was in school or outside of school but she said that you needed to work together as a team and that is what really helped her achieve her goal and graduate as valedictorian and made her who she is today.

Dr Padilla stated that she never grew up wanting to be a dentist she didn't decide on what she wanted to do until she got into UNM and that is when she realized she was interested in becoming a dentist. Padilla now discusses more about her clients, she says that her patients are her main priority and she strives to make them happy because they are what pays her bills and makes her company last. She also discusses that having a good staff for her business is very important as well. She says that who are the first people you see when you walk in the door, the receptionist, she or he is the one who greets you and makes you feel comfortable. Then you have your dentist assistants who probably see you clients more than you do sometimes. She says she tries to pay her employees a little more than the average because she wants her staff to be the best they can be for her patients. I personally think everyone she has staffed is very nice very welcoming when I walk in the door I always feel welcomed and everyone is so nice. I have been going to Padillas dentistry for years and I used to hate going to the dentist but when I switched to her I didn't mind at all, because they take great care of everyone. When going to dental school, Padilla talks about business courses and how she had take some in order to open your own practice, dentist are business people in their own business. I asked Dr Padilla to give me an example of what a normal day at her office is like and she described it as she gets up in the morning and goes to work and before they open they have a meeting and get together and talk about all the patients they have in that day and develop a plan of action if necessary, some days are busier than others. A typical day can consist of an extraction to a root canal etc. Stephanie usually works 35 hours a week, and there is nothing really she needs to take home from work, she says it's really nice because you can't take a patient home with you, what done at the end of the day is done. Occasionally she'll call patients after hours to check up on them and see how they're feeling. Padilla says she works at a faster pace but she says in your own business you can chose to work at whatever pace you want because it is your own business so therefore you make the rules but she likes to attend to her patients as quick and as fast as she can. Dr padilla is glad to help other people with their “smiles” she is very close to some of her patients and enjoys this profession because she feels that she is doing something good for the community.

I feel that this interview really gave me an insight as to what it takes to be a dentist and the obstacles I will come across. Doing this interview just made me more interested in becoming a dentist or doing something in this field. It made me realize there will still be time to do other things and that you have to be committed. This interview has also brought me closer to my dentist and Dr Padilla said she is here if I have any other questions regarding this topic or if interested in coming in and observing.

Dr Stephanie A. Padilla

[hecticquarter-blog]

Introduction: Rosstin Ahmadian is the brother of one of my good friends named Sall Ahmadian who is currently on his own path to get into law school.  Rosstin ended up being accepted  into the UNM School of Medicine without being in the combined BA/MD program that UNM offers high school students a full ride and a reserved seat into medical school, in that case I thought it would be best I interviewed someone that did not have a reserved seat into med school since I am currently in the same situation. Rosstin also graduated from the same high school as me which is Clovis High School. Clovis is a small town on the eastern side of New Mexico right next to Texas, there really is not  much to do in Clovis since it is a smaller town compared to Albuquerque. So in this case personally I believed we might’ve of had a couple things in  common. Rosstin easily  became the perfect medical student to interview in order to get advice on how to get into medical school and we did end up having a couple of things in common.  During his undergraduate years Rosstin studied Biochemistry which is the exact same major I decided to go with during my undergraduate years. Rosstin is currently a in his second year in medical school and has received a full ride scholarship into med school. Rosstin was also part of a cancer research project during his undergrad years where he participated as a research technician during the 2015-2016 school year. Rosstin liked to stay highly involved in the university in order to build his resume for the medical  schools he was planning to apply to. For example he would join organizations a he would become an officer in these organizations.  Rosstin would also volunteer often because it is required for some med schools to have many volunteer hours. I asked Rosstin many questions about his background and his path into medical school.

 What is your story? (Your Background)

I was born in Clovis, New Mexico. Lived there my whole life until I moved to Albuquerque where I studied biochemistry and worked in a research lab during my undergrad. I took a year off to travel and finish up my research project. I started medical school in 2016.

 Why did you choose to go into Medical School?

There is no greater call for anyone than the pursuit to better the lives of their fellow man. Medicine blends science with the human story, there is no other place I would want to spend my life.

 What was the hardest part for preparing for Medical School?

Your competition does not sleep, so you have to constantly push yourself with the focus of developing a pedigree that medical schools will want to incorporate into their program.

 How were your undergrad years, what was your major?

Good. Biochemistry.

 How did you prepare for the MCAT?

I did the Kaplan course. If I were to do it again, I would have spent 3 months doing practice questions and learning from those instead of trying to re-learn everything from scratch.

 Were you apart of any clubs, if so which ones?

I was on 3 research projects. Organizations included UNM Fencing, New Mexico Fencing Foundation, AMSA, and some volunteer stuff around the city like Food Bank etc.

How much did you volunteer during undergrad?

I had over 700 hours of volunteer experience when I applied.

 Do you have any leadership experience?

I was an officer in all the student organizations listed above. I also created a couple student organizations and was naturally an officer of those organizations too.

 Briefly describe you pre-med schedule, typical day and week.

Wake Up. Class. Extra-Curricular/Research/Volunteering/and then start to study around 1800. There was always time to socialize with friends between classes and over food but for the most part, I had one project I was working on per day in addition to classes and studies.

 How did you choose your med school?

UNM offered to pay for me to go to medical school.

 Did you take any extra courses in preparation for med school?

No.

 Any open-ended advice?

Every semester, add at least 1 thing to your list of projects that you are working on if not more. It’ll add up over the 4 years of undergrad and you’ll be surprised how far diligence will take you.

[hecticquarter-blog]

https://soundcloud.com/user-791814630

For my interviews, I wanted to interview international students because of my and other's interests in traveling.  I wanted to explore the experience of going to another country, but also understanding the difficulties of it.  There are many barriers.  There are cultural differences, language differences, and often different understandings of basic values.  Overall though, I found the interviewees all have had a very good experience.  Understandably, they all displayed some similar qualities.  They were all quite open with their tastes, and were able to understand and think critically about the differences between this country and theirs.  At a baser level, but just as importantly, their English-speaking ability was very good.  The three interviews I have uploaded on Soundcloud were of Keegan, an Indonesian student, Jessica, a Bolivian student, and Brugnara from Kazakhstan.  Of the three, Keegan and Jessica were of average college student age while Brugnara was actually a Ph.D. holding student here at UNM.     Their characters were all that of a person willing and able to adapt to new environments.  No doubt these qualities contributed to their success here in the United States, and to any students here wishing to study abroad, they should take after such qualities to make most of their time abroad.  I also took note to ask about their thoughts on American society versus that of their country, as a way of learning more about their experiences but also to elucidate the feelings that arise out of being surrounded by foreign people.  I hope the interviews make one more eager to see the world, there is much wonderment to experience and, truly, many countries have many more interesting things to offer than here.  If you cannot travel, however, it is still interesting to gain insight on how foreign peoples think of us.  Some of it is certainly useful for self-reflection.  

[hecticquarter-blog]

Annette S. Paez

Interview- Annette S. Paez (Associate Director of the Transit Department)

General Information

Q1- What is your name? Where are you from? What is your occupation? Can you tell me a little bit about your life?

“Annette S. Paez. I am originally from a small community between Las Vegas, NM and Mora, NM, and it is called la Tegua Sapllo. Basically, I was raised on a ranch in the middle of nowhere… kind of. It was a much different way of life. So, I am the Associate director for the transit department. A little bit about me, umm. I went to high school in Las Vegas, New Mexico at Robertson high school. I went to college at UNM and got my undergrad in communicative disorders and Spanish. Typically going into communicative disorders, you become a speech language pathologist, but I did not want to go into that. Instead, I applied for graduate school for public administration. Eventually, I took a job in the city as a secretary and within a few months I was promoted to supervisor. 25 years later, here I am with an 18-year-old daughter named Michayla, a dog named Apricot, and a job as the associate director of the transit department.”

Q2- What are some of your main responsibilities within your work place?

“So, the department is an operational department. We have about 605 employees. Of those 605 probably around 500 works under me. So, I oversee the operation part of the department which control the “fixed route” buses AKA the big buses that are on a fixed route. I also oversee the “Sun Van” service which provide transportation for those with disabilities (also oversees the process in which someone can ride the “sun van” service which involves a license, an interview, etc.). I also oversee customer service, dispatch, all the operation supervisors, and human resources.”

Q3- How did you begin working in the Albuquerque Transit System?

“Like I said before, after graduate school, my uncle and my dad pushed me to get a job in the city, just to get my foot in the door somewhere. If I didn’t like it I could always move. But, I started here as a secretary and eventually moved my way up from a supervisor to an operations supervisor, then an assistant transit manager, and then a division manager assistant, and now I’m an associates director. I can’t really go anywhere unless I become a director and get appointed by the mayor. But, that would be a lot more work.”

- Are you happy?

“I am. Sometimes I’m not happy but there are more times that I am happy than when I’m not. It’s not a typical 8-5 job, I’m on call 24/7, but I’m happy.”

Q4- What is the most difficult part of your job?

“The most difficult part of my job is being an adult babysitter. 80%-90% of my time is spent on disciplinary actions for employees that should just be doing their jobs. So like, asking civil complaints from the legal department where we get complaints about accidents or incidents. Umm, grievance hearings for individuals that grieve their suspensions. I also oversee

predetermination hearing and then depending on their suspension grievance, it could lead to a simple warning or termination. So, yeah! A lot of disciplinary actions are involved in my work week.”

ART Project

Q5- Having to do with the A.R.T. project on central, how do you think the project will benefit Albuquerque?

“How do I think it will benefit Albuquerque? Well right now it’s not benefitting anyone quite frankly. But, it will be a viable option to allow people to have access to public transportation. As someone on the inside looking out, public transportation is how most cities run and work. Because of this, I think ART is going to be a key to that. How to get the people of the city to cooperate with that, who knows? Around 42%-43% of our total ridership is up and down central, so it will benefit those people eventually.”

Q6- In creating jobs, around how many jobs do you think this project could potentially create? What would those jobs consist of?

“As far as jobs go, I’m not really sure how many jobs it’s going to create. Umm, I think the majority of jobs are going to sky rocket in the retail department or in potentially new restaurants. And hopefully some businesses will move around here and maybe some new apartment complexed, so that there will be more diversity around here. So hopefully, it will create a mixed flow of infilled urban development, which will be really nice for people so that people can get off, eat, and be close by to their apartment.”

Q7- How will the ART project benefit the economy besides providing jobs?

“So, for right now, it’s creating jobs for a lot of contractors and they have subcontracted out to a lot of people. In terms of the economy, the more businesses that come in, the better the economy is, right? Because the whole goal is to get more gross receipt taxes and that’s how a city thrives. We want gross receipt taxes so the more people spend, the better our economy is. And hopefully, this will help push so that when people come down here, they will go out and spend.”

- Will it impact the environment in any way?

“As far as the environment goes, we have these 60-foot articulated buses that are all electrically powered. That itself will reduce carbon emissions. Also, by getting people off the street and out of cars, that will reduce carbon emissions even more so.”

Q8- What would you say are the biggest strengths of the entire project?

“So, I would say the biggest strengths of the project are, if you’re forward thinking and you look forward and say, “wow, this is a good idea”, eventually there will be new streets, new lighting, new sidewalks and walkways. These nice new ART station with canopies and ticket stations. So, from that perspective, in the end there will be opportunities to use a new type of system and the whole corridor will look different. You know, some people don’t like the canopies because they think they should look more New Mexican. But, if you look past that, it will look better in the end. So, the strength is we will have this new, viable transportation system.”

Q9- What would you say are the biggest weaknesses?

“So, the weaknesses. I think the weakness have been the whole construction part of the project. In my opinion, I don’t think it was the best idea to do it all in one fell swoop. Maybe, it would’ve been better if they could have done things in pieces. So, people are mad. It’s painful and time consuming. You know, people live through it every day and, it makes people mad. And the second weakness, I know we tried but I don’t think we did the best job communicating. In the long run, I think communication could have helped us. People would have been mad either way, but if we had listened a little better then I think we could have come across more positive than negative.”

Other Information

Q10- How has working within the Albuquerque Transit System impacted your life?

“So, it is really the only job I have ever known. Whether that is good or bad? I will never know, but on the positive side, I have evolved in this agency and I have seen it move and grow in different directions. But, it does take a toll on my life. I mean, ask my daughter. There are times when I have to work late and work on the weekends. Sometimes there are special events. I missed a lot of my daughter’s functions. And as a woman, I am probably one of the highest-ranking females in this city and, a Hispanic woman at that. But, on the flip side, I am a single parent and it was not easy. For some men, (not in a negative way, it’s accepted. It is ok for you to not be at home sometimes. For me, I carried the guilt a lot of times because there were times that I had be at my job rather than with my daughter. So, on the positive side, I love my job, but sometimes it does take a toll on my life”

Q11- How has transit within Albuquerque changed over the course of the years?

“That is a great question! When I first started, we were a small company bus company running up and down picking up sun van passengers. Back then, we would have complaints about how we were letting those little buses run up and down the streets empty, but now we get complaints about how we need more service out there. So, the evolution is pretty profound. And now, we have more options for public transportation. Our sun van system grows 2-3% yearly. And within the department, our size has almost doubled since when we started. As we continue, we are going to create new types of roads. There are going to be bi-directional lanes, bus only lanes, and new policies and procedures for these streets.”

- Has it changed for the better?

“I think as we evolve, people are really starting to accept public transportation. As we grow, growing is good even with the growing pains, but I think we are moving in the right direction.”

Q12- Working within the bus system, you must come across some interesting stories of what happens behind the scenes. Do you have a favorite story you could share?

“So, an interesting story of what happens behind the scenes. So, there was this one time a bus got stolen and they took it down a hill and it hit a house on Zuni because some guy ran a red light and the bus couldn’t stop in time and it took out the entire front of the house. For interesting stories that aren’t so good, we have had a lot of suicides and attempted suicides. I think my favorite story, there was a guy that managed to get up out of the escape hatch because APD had

to pull the bus over because they were going to arrest him. And the SWAT team had to come… and there are so many interesting stories that happen every day. But, a funny story; we bought a new vacuum cleaner and they were so excited because they were going to sue it downstairs in the lobby. And this guy James comes up to me and says, “I just turned for a second and they stole the vacuum cleaner!”. So, someone came forward and said they knew where the vacuum cleaner is. Apparently, 2 guys had taken with them on one of the buses. Sure enough, we found the bus they were on and APD came and pulled the bus over and sure enough, they had the vacuum cleaner. We had asked them where they got it and they claimed they had just bought it. Anyways, they got arrested and James was so happy he got back his vacuum cleaner back. But, some of the sadder stories is a lot of people overdose on the buses and commit suicide… So, they’re not the best stories, but it happens daily.”

[hecticquarter-blog]

Out of State Troubles

             Franky Imbriano is a sophomore at the University of New Mexico who was born and raised in Mattituck, New York. He is a perfect example of what it’s like to be a student who is from out of state. Bring from over 2,000 miles away he experiences what every student faces and then some with the distance. The purpose of the interview is to relate to all current and incoming college students by speaking about what they face on an everyday basis. Being an in-state student you face the tribulations that the college workload presents and can drive home any given weekend. Now, imagine being in a foreign state, where you have no family and no friends and you have to learn how to transition into this whole new world. You will learn from Franky who he is, where he is from, what added pressures he feels and what he misses the most. Some of you will here for the first time about a place named Mattituck and a food called yodels. You will question how and why he ended in a place like New Mexico and can’t quite comprehend why this place even comes into the equation. But, almost all students in every university around the country will be able to relate. Everyone knows WHERE the want to go, but don’t truly know if it’s where they will end up. While reading this I hope you can really listen in to his advice and relate as much as possible. Some things said in his responses are suggestions I never knew and didn’t think about coming into college and really wish I did. The link below will lead you to a SoundCloud account of the audio of the interview. Sit back, close your eyes or put in head phones and do whatever it takes to walk away with a lesson.

  https://soundcloud.com/user-392612294/interview-92417-1105-am

[hecticquarter-blog]

Febely Ibarra, Elena Herrera, Joana Salas

Going Out-of-State for College

For many students, it’s a no brainer of going out-of-state for college, however it is not possible for everyone. Some people have the financial support to go wherever they can dream for college, but others it’s a sacrifice. I had my mind set on attending a college in Phoenix, Arizona; I thought it was going to be an easy decision. Turns out it was not the best option for me, so I stayed home. It used to be easy for me to picture myself leaving that I knew my whole life and start from scratch, but when the decision was in front of me I was terrified. It was a decision that still regret to this day. I wanted to explore others’ experiences of making the choice of leaving their home for college. I wanted to understand what obstacles came with moving out of state and how the moving process is. I interviewed three of my friends who went out of state, each of them in a different state. They are all from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and all graduated from Atrisco Heritage Academy High School. Elena Herrera is attending New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She was in the Top Ten of her class and is a first generation student. Joana Salas has recently graduated from Las Vegas Bible College in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was born in Mexico, and later on in her life moved to the United States; she is also a first generation student. Febely Ibarra is currently attending Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. She was also Top Ten in her class and a first generation student. Even though they have similar backgrounds, each woman had a distinct experience with the process of going out of state. I asked all three of them the same questions, and these were their responses:

1. What influenced you to decide to go out of state for college?

Febely: My decision to leave Albuquerque for college was not an easy one, but one I’ve wanted to accomplish for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was young I dreamt of leaving Albuquerque, going to cities that were vastly different because simply I wanted to explore new and fascinating places. Not to mention, the lure that prestigious universities like Stanford or Princeton was hard to resist; I wanted to be recognized as something other than a ‘low-income’ girl from the Westgate’s. However, at the time those dreams were just that–dreams; a low-income girl who was part of a minority? People like me rarely made it to college, much less to a prestigious institution like Stanford. But as I got older and had the opportunities to visit places outside of Albuquerque, I become more and more enraptured with the different cultures and ways of thinking that I witnessed outside of Albuquerque until I began actually searching up cities and colleges that seemed to suit an adventurous introvert like myself. It wasn’t until I toured Northwestern University the summer before my senior year, where I was introduced to universities like Pomona or –my now current school– Tufts, that I knew I wanted to expand my horizons and be surrounded by different types of people, ideas, and so forth. Besides, I worked

hard my entire academic career so who was to say that the Mexican girl with the strange name like me couldn’t make it to a big-name school like all the privileged kids?

Joana: I never wanted to stay in New Mexico to begin with, but a simple youth church conference was the last push I needed to confirm how much I wanted to leave. I had always been with my family and always wanted to know what it’d be like to be on my own.

Elena: The feeling of being independent and transitioning into adulthood is what influenced my decision regarding where to attend college. I wanted to be able to be accountable for my decisions and experience everything college has to offer. Overall every school offers about the same education but the life learning that living on your own has is something I didn’t want to miss out on.

2. Who were the people that supported this decision?

Febely: Since I was young I always received support from teachers and counselors at my schools; they saw a potential that I didn’t. Yeah, I did always work hard to receive high-marks at school, but I did so because that’s what I thought was expected of me from my peers and family. However, my teachers always brought up the idea of Ivy League schools when I spoke with them. When I became more serious about leaving, my friends then cheered me on; they would read my essays or give me ideas of what to write about when I became disheartened or when my mind simply went blank. Then there were my mentors, particularly my mentors from a college prep Program I participated in (Upward Bound i.e. UB) and my college counselor from high school. They constantly challenged me to seek new opportunities and to push myself in school to improve my chances of actually making it to a private institution like Tufts. I know that without their help I wouldn’t have the motivation, intelligence or courage to actually leave Albuquerque. While many of my family members did not support my decision to leave due to their lack of knowledge and experience with these sort of things, I expected this from them; I was the first in my immediate family to leave New Mexico, after all. But my eldest sister, Yanitzel, was always my confidant, and one of my number one cheerleaders when it came to leaving New Mexico. Eventually, once I made it clear that I was leaving, the rest of my family came around. To this day, my family is one of my biggest support systems that I cannot imagine living without.

Joana: My parents and closest friends to me. Also, my pastors.

Elena: My parents have always supported my decisions even if they didn’t agree with them. They would’ve prefer I attended UNM but they supported my decision 100%. My parents and family knew I was capable of living on my own. Although at the beginning they did try to convince me to stay they quickly understood it was something I wanted to

do so they supported me. My dad, in particular supported my decision from the start and even though I could tell he wasn’t happy I would be leaving he never said a word that wasn’t in my support.

3. Who were opposed of your decision?

Febely: As I mentioned, my family had initially opposed of my decision of leaving Albuquerque. They recognized the immense benefits I could receive from coming to Tufts, but they also feared the unknown obstacles I would inevitably face when moving to a new city like Boston by myself. My mom especially feared of letting her only child leave and –unbeknownst me– she feared of being alone and forgotten. For a while, some of my closest friends opposed my decision too. They knew that it was a good opportunity for me, but they didn’t understand why I wanted to put myself through the struggle of being in a new environment and they especially didn’t understand why I wanted to leave them behind. I was eventually able to convince them otherwise, and continue to do so by keeping constant communication with them. Yes, they may have initially opposed my decision but have since then become my greatest supporters.

Joana: Church members who thought they knew what was best for me. Or people who thought I should be doing something different with my life. (Controlling people)

Elena: Some of my friends opposed my decision and tried to convince me to stay home. They wanted to continue the school environment that we had in high school at UNM. The main reason for which I believe they opposed was out of fear that we would grow apart. Eventually they all supported my decisions, some until I was already here.

4. How was the transition of moving out?

Febely: While I wish I could say the transition from Albuquerque to Boston went smoothly, I have to admit that it was a bit of a jumbled mess. My family was anxious the weeks before I left, which in turn would make me go into a state of panic. Not to mention I felt so unprepared the entire time; I wasn’t able to think properly and I constantly asked myself what it was that I actually needed. The entire summer my family debated who was going to take me to the city itself, and those were some of the most difficult conversations I had with them because they almost always ended in tears– particularly on the day it was decided that my UB mentors would take me due to financial strain it would cause my family. The day I actually left Albuquerque was calmer, albeit tears were still shed that day. However, the day passed by so quickly that it seemed I was in Boston in a blink of an eye. The day after arriving to Boston I moved into my dorm, which was rushed since almost the entire day was spent exploring Boston. This caused me to arrive at Tufts after the designated time they gave me, and set back the schedule with an orientation program I was enrolled in. It was, again, a jumbled mess, but one I was able to get through. The rest of orientation was smooth and simply a great experience.

Joana: Hard! I did not know a single person in Las Vegas and had no idea who I was going to be living with or what I was getting myself into. I guess leaving things and people behind was easy, leaving my family, was not. Overall, I got a fresh start.

Elena: Moving out was not difficult in my case because I had both financial and moral support from both of my parents. It was something I had looked forward to because I saw it as a way to be an authentic college student. Living in the dorms and being completely independent was something I had dreamed of. I was not at all scared, instead anxious do come explore adult life.

5. What were some struggles that you faced?

Febely: Like with any new experience, not everything is “easy peasy”. Since moving, I’ve experienced my fair share of culture shock. In a private institution like Tufts it is no surprise to meet people from privileged backgrounds, such as people from private high schools or people who come from wealth. Where I come from, I wasn’t exposed to people like that or to their culture, but here it’s like I’m constantly reminded of the fact that I came from a low-income family and from a state with one of the worst school systems. This has challenged me in ways I didn’t realize; I feel an unbelievable intimidation on a daily basis, and when I have discussions with others I am constantly reminded of my possible inferiority. Not to mention, I am one of the few New Mexicans here, and one of the even less Mexicans that attends Tufts; the level of discomfort is palpable at times. It’s not easy to connect with people when they don’t understand your culture; but luckily, most people are accepting and want to learn more, and it just makes it even more rewarding when I meet another person from New Mexico or from Mexican descent. Until now, the level of difficult expected in classes is one that I prepared myself for, but I am still told that there are even more difficult classes that I should expect in future semesters. A last personal struggle is communication, with both my peers and my professors; as an introvert, speaking up in any sort of atmosphere is a challenge for me, and one that I’m slowly overcoming in my classes and social environments. I also faced some of the most basic struggles that others face, such as being forced to become an adult and being homesick. Being away from home makes a person realize how much one takes for granted little things, like being able to have privacy or your mother’s cooking; things of that sort. Also, I now have to navigate things alone such as finding transportation, doing my own laundry and figuring out concerns regarding health insurance. It’s things that make you feel like an adult even though you recognize you aren’t one.

Joana: Creating new friendships, learning to get around (without a car), financial struggles, not knowing if I would have enough money to pay for rent or school payments.

Elena: The main struggle I had was finding my way around campus and town. I am easily lost so it took some time to get ubicated. Even to find my room I struggle the first day. This continues to be a struggle for me when I get asked to meet somewhere where I haven’t gone to before because although campus and the town are ‘small’ there is still lots of room to get lost in.

6. How was your first week of college?

Febely: My first week of college was much easier than I expected. I expected to be hit with assignments left and right, and to be overwhelmed by the amount of the amount of work given to me, but I wasn’t. I was also really taken aback by the kindheartedness of the students and professors here; they really seem like they all want to support one another. My first week of college was also one marked by loneliness; my birthday –the first one spent away from home– fell on the first day of classes, so it was almost like a constant reminder that my family wasn’t there. My family continuously called me or ‘facetimed’ me, which only further settled that they weren’t there. Nevertheless, I feel like the first week of college is either a hit or miss, and to me it was a hit because I actually began to feel like I was in my home away from home. I had an amazing time making new friends, exploring new academic topics, and exploring the Boston and Medford area in general. In spite of the nostalgia, I really enjoyed my first week at Tufts.

Joana: Lets just say it's not what I expected. I was surrounded by new people who loved to talk and were so outgoing. I am not. It was overwhelming.

Elena: My first week of college was exciting there was so much to explore and activities to get to know people. Aside from spending time getting to know the campus, I spent most of my time meeting new people and bonding with my roommates. The first week was all fun and zero stress. As to the first days of classes teacher were extremely friendly and explained in detail what the course consisted of. I know exactly what to expect for each class for the rest of the semester.

7. What is some advice for students who want to study out of state?

Febely: First off, students who want to go to college in general have to work really hard in their classes in order to be up to par with the amount of work expected in a university setting. If they want to attend an even more prestigious institution, one has to realize that the students who attend these places come from privileged backgrounds so one has learn how to look past that in order to avoid a sort of inferiority complex. Another piece of wisdom I can give is to thoroughly research everything about a college before going there; learn about the city, the mode of transportation, their academic programs such as minors and majors. This way they can really understand what they’re getting themselves do. This also helps one better prepare for the climate change that one experiences

(especially if you’re moving from the southwest to the east coast, or vice-versa), or the distinct cultures one will encounter. A few things that I wish I had done, but was not able to were visit the campus before deciding to attend the school, or at least talking with a student who attends the school. This means taking advantage of fly-in programs at the beginning of the semester, or simply getting in contact with the admissions office and inquiring about any possible opportunities. Usually, if there is a financial strain imposed on the student, they will work with them in order to get them to fly out to the school; otherwise, they can get the student in contact with an undergrad or graduate student at the school in case they have any questions. I personally did this after deciding to attend Tufts; although it didn’t have any negative side effects, I would have benefitted greatly from exploring these opportunities.

Joana: Make sure you are strong and independent enough. Save up your money, don’t make a decision out of impulse, but sit down and think thoroughly. People will either support you or be against you, you do whatever is best for you, not best for them. Don’t worry about change; changing your friends, your job, your home; endured change.

Elena: My advice for incoming freshman would be to be prepared to be on your own. You have to be able to be completely independent. There is no going back once you’re out of home so be sure that that is what you want. Another piece of advice would be to experience every little thing that college has to offer because you only do it once. Go out, attend games, take part in school events and organizations, have fun! Oh, and study too!

Febely Ibarra

[hecticquarter-blog]

Frontier

Frontier

Interview with Dorthy Rainosek; owner of the Frontier Restaurant in Albuquerque, NM, conducted by Florence Sliger

             In 1971, the iconic Frontier restaurant opened her doors to the citizens of Albuquerque, New Mexico. 46 years later she is still owned and operated by her original owners Larry and Dorthy Rainosek, who came from Austin, Texas, which was where they met, married, and had 2 children.

You are the original owners?

                 Yes; First it was Chizzens, then it was the country barn, that went out of business and that’s when Bob bought it.

I see that you have other restaurants-

                 We have 4, Golden Pride. We had a friend with some property over in west central and he wanted my husband to put a restaurant there because he didn’t like the people who were leasing/renting. We had been familiar with restaurant fried chicken, in Texas. So Larry said sure we will put in a restaurant and in those days it was called Golden Fried Chicken. So being young and naïve, we opened and I think we only did $49 that day. But we only had fried chicken, French fries, soft drinks, and a little dinner roll.

                 We changed the name from Golden Fried to Pride because Fried had kind of a bad connotation. And when we put in our breakfast burritos and the restaurants have just taken off and they are going fabulous. I don’t even know how many they sell, but thousands and thousands.

Opportunity presented by friends who came down from Austin and saw the whole building for sale. Called Larry to look at the first “dining room” and see if he would want to put a restaurant in. They looked at the place on thanksgiving and moved in 2 days after Christmas.

 What made you want to open this type of restaurant?

                 Husband worked for a man in Austin who had restaurants in the University of Texas area, and always felt that it would be a good thing to do to have our own restaurant. It’s very appealing to work and not get a percentage.

   Why the Location?

                 Just happened to be the one Bob Chambers had available, and we had no connection to Albuquerque New Mexico at all. I never would have thought here, we were looking in the Austin area.

In Austin, every hour on the hour, when classes changed, there was a huge influx of students and staff walking across the street, because that’s where all the book stores were, clothing, restaurants, everything, pharmacies.

   Like here? (referring to the flood of students who seem to cross Central when classes get out)

                 Except at that time the UNM bookstore was in the middle of campus- this happened after we had moved here.

Needless to say, we opened in the middle of a semester and the first day we only made $58 and needed $300 to break even, because we didn’t realize people didn’t flock across the street.

 What businesses were here originally?

                 Across the street there was a safe company, an insurance company, a lamp shop, Burnie Butterfield had his jewelry shop, but there was nothing to draw the students across the street. Saggio’s use to be a heating and air conditioning shop.

 Tell me about the paintings and native/ western theme, what was the inspiration?

                 Originally, we had the first room and it was 99 seats, and we just needed something on the walls. So, we had originally purchased prints, which we framed and hung, and they were southwestern. Then Johnny Yazzy, a Native American artist, came and had a painting for sale, so we thought ‘well heavens were are paying this much for prints’, so word got out and we started buying paintings from Johnny Yazzy and Fred Cleavland, who was the other native American artist. We would buy those and put those on the walls, so we would have originals.

 What was the inspiration for this type/ theme of menu? It is like a fusion of American classics, southwestern, and New Mexican.

                 We didn’t start out that way, we didn’t know anything about New Mexico. So, we just had the menu that my husband was familiar with and that he had worked with in Texas, and it had a Tex-Mex Enchiladas. So, one of our employees, who is now one of our general managers, said that we really need to do green chilies. And we thought what is that, so they bought a little sack and roasted them in their outdoor bbq, and I thought this is so different. And they didn’t put salt or garlic or anything on it. So then we started buying it but it was a frozen product, and half of it was water. Eventually we started roasting our own. The red chili cream came much later, we stayed with the Tex-Mex for awhile, but when we introduced chicken to our enchiladas we knew that we had to change it up and we wanted the pure cream, not the beans, like in the Tex-Mex beef ones. And that’s when we started roasting our own peppers. It was a big mess so now we get the through a supplier. But we didn’t know anything about green chili so we had just hamburgers and breakfast, we didn’t even start with pancakes.

 I heard that your most popular item are the sweet rolls. Is that what you would claim as your most popular item?

                 Breakfast burritos by far. Our sweet rolls though are our signature item, because we are known for them. That recipe came from Texas, Larry’s brother had that recipie. It’s a family recipie.

 Approximately how many people do you serve in a week/ month/ annually?

                 There is really no way for us to know, but I would say thousands.

 How about in a day or a week?

                 Defiantly a week and probably in a day. We are open 20 hours, but it depends on what is going on, a big concert in the area or something happening on campus.

 Has being on food Net Work helped business?

                 Not really- No, no. This destruction here (referring to the construction on Central) has really hurt business though, which it probably has to most businesses in the area.

  The construction then has defiantly been a hindrance to business?

                                                     Destruction- it has destroyed, is destroying our historic Route 66. They are putting in a train and they are keeping 2 busses here.

 Do you think that when it is done it will bring in more business?

                                                     Do you think different people will be riding that bus then the people who do now? I don’t know how they convinced the bearcats that there would be different people ridding it that only the clean people would be ridding it, not the dirty people the derelicts, the homeless.

 What was the original dream?

                 We opened with 99 seats so we thought we could be a college hang out, and that’s what we had hoped to be.

 Well I think you have defiantly become more than that.

Yes. What we have done is to change what was surrounding our business. You see we bought the property in case we didn’t get a new lease, so we had that and was then able to put in businesses that would attract students across the street as well as faculty and staff. Then 8 months later our landlord decided to sell the whole building, which at the time was a barber shop a pawn shop and bookstore. And then we also brought the property behind us. So, we had these two large pieces of property, making us property rich and financially poor. Then we realized that we needed more parking so we started buying the houses on Cornell.

  You say that these businesses have really helped bring in customers, so do you find your selves having to compete with them for business? Like Brick Lighting?

                 Well sure but they also bring more people into the area. The only problem is that they don’t have parking and they then try to use ours. So, we have to monitor our parking

 When I walked in I noticed your workers making homemade tortillas, did you start making them when chilis were introduced to your menu?

                 No, no, that happened much later, because originally, we had the Tex-Mex Enchiladas and we just served crackers with that. But we were at a restaurant show in 88/89 and they had a tortilla machine. we liked the product and what it was doing, so we went to san Antonio and met with the owner, we bought the machine, but we then had to also buy a dough rounder, that made them into the little balls, which was a big investment. Originally we were using the pioneer tortilla mix but they doubled the price so we started making our own. And I would now say that it is one of our signature items.

[hecticquarter-blog]

Roberto Reyes

Introduction

                 Roberto Reyes is a venue manager at a creative youth center in Downtown Albuquerque named Warehouse 508. 508 caters to youth 6-20 and provides classes for various art forms and hobbies, is a working indoor skatepark, has a screen-printing facility, a music studio for recording, and a stage for performances. Roberto Reyes has been a student, instructor, and now manager of 508. Reyes has a background in photography, mural arts, screen-printing, and digital design. As an active member of the community, Reyes works with youth at 508 to help build their art-form and performance skills. This interview discusses his personal experiences with working at a venue, as well as his perspectives on some of the issues happening in the community and country.

Interview

What is your name? - Roberto Reyes

What is your job description? - Venue manager. I’m in charge of the facilities at Warehouse 508, booking shows, making sure classes are ready for instruction, and making sure all youth at 508 are safe and sound.

What is your favorite part of your job? - Working with youth and seeing them accomplish their dreams and learning new skills or hanging out here. I love seeing them.

When you were younger what was your dream job? - I wanted to be a doctor when I was really little (like Kindergarten).

What changed your mind? - Seeing new possibilities and discovering other ways to help people. At one point I wanted to be a comedian and then another time until now I just wanted to be a full time artist.

What kind of art do you do? - I paint murals and do graphic design, photography, screen-printing. (Pictured with a mural Reyes worked on)

How does your background play a role in your job today? - It comes from very alternative field of employment and I think when youth want to pursue an art career, you know, i.e being music or photography any of those you need have a really good idea and to be very versatile at your art work so that you know you can make a living off of it because you know you won’t be a Rockstar or superstar at it but you can still run sound, still do lighting, still be a tour manager. Opening the door for different possibilities and opening the door when it comes to art and music.

What classes offered at Warehouse 508 are your favorite? - Let’s see, I really enjoy mural arts of course, that’s what I started doing here, I was a student and then I became an instructor, I have a really important place in my heart for that class because it’s very open and a lot of youth kind of can learn a lot from it from critical thinking to learning how to use a spray can to learning the history of art and mural painting, even hip-hop history as well.

What do you like to see most in stage performances? - I like to see the appreciation of your crowd and I like when the artist speaks to their crowd a little bit and feeds off the vibe of the crowd

What’s the difference that you see in the youth that come out of Warehouse 508 and are successful with their art-form compared to those who are not? -  Some of them are extremely driven and what I found here is that they’re really true to themselves. They don’t falter to what their message is and they whole heartedly believe in it. I think that’s the important message of Albuquerque and New Mexico because we are so isolated. They’re not trying to be the next rapper the next big rapper, they have the space to be who they are, their own musician, they don’t have a preset notion of what is good and what is bad. It’s harder to be an actual musician and to “blow up” from a place like Albuquerque.

What do you see brings in the most people to shows? – From what I’ve seen, building an audience that can follow you, of course there is social media but the best bet is live interaction and shows. People don’t realize here that the best is diversity, rap and rock groups coming together makes cross pollinating. Have a edm dj with a singer song writer and maybe an emcee or whatever but I think it the best to have cross pollination of crows because everyone here likes everything and if they do I don’t see them being not open to other genres of music.

What hip hop artists are your favorites?- As far as top five rappers I think Rappers- The Roots are number one, so black thought is number one spot. Then it’ll be probably like Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Calle13 they’re a perutorican rap group, and Lauren Hill and I think she should’ve been higher haha.

Which of the four pillars of hip-hop is your favorite? - Um I would say graph-writing, it’s called writing in the hip-hop community. Graffiti is something used to remind of us vandalism. Like how breakdancing is the mainstream term but we like to call it B-boying within the hip-hop community. Rappers is the mainstream names but it’s actually emceeing.

What do you see that holds kids back the most? - A variety of things, but the most is just self-doubt and not willing to make mistakes or screw up and honestly I would rather screw up in a painting than I would in real life so screw up as much as you want, then fix it.

Advice you would tell your fifteen-year-old self? - It’s funny because I did tell myself that, What I told myself is that I shouldn't play stuff football, I shouldn’t play varsity ball and I should focus on what I love and not something I don't have any love in, which wasn’t football, it wasn’t fun anymore and painting was way funnier and I saw the potential of it taking me way father than football could, which was true.

What do you think people can do as citizens to help the community in the state that it’s in right now? - I think it has a lot to do with people’s perspectives and seeing other peoples’ point of view even if it’s an opposing one; they’re being heard and looking back at how they were brought up so you can know where those kinds of thinking or thoughts stem from so you can better analyze them why they think that way. It kind humanizes a person, those thoughts they come from a specific place so you can then deconstruct their argument and help change their mind.

A lot of people coming out of high school complain about “adulting” how do you cope/ what grounds you? - First worlding as it’s called, haha. I think it’s the arts in general like could be music, visual arts, could be simply riding my bike that is most important and growing up finding out your outlets and finding a way for you to find a way to deal with really stressful situations that isn’t harmful to you because you know a lot of people turn to alcohol or drugs or self-inflicting wounds and stuff like that and youth need a way to deal with that because once you figure those things out as an adult, I’m not saying it’ll be easy but it’ll easier with positive coping mechanisms.

As an artist do you go through dry spells and how do they make you feel? - I’m actually in one right now. Honestly, I haven’t drawn anything or done anything creative for maybe the past year so because my main focus last year was to buy a home which happened in October of last year and now it’s still put me in a rut and I’m still trying to get out of it. What I need to focus on is my health so I can have energy and want to do things I want to do. Also creating a space where I can create and not just fall asleep- separating that space for creative work.

What would you tell youth that are stuck between pursuing a more conventional living and being an artist? - I think that it’s hard. That was my choice when I was younger, like become an architect and make money or do what I love as an artist and be happy and not live really well kind of scavenge, but it just depends on your position. It would be nice to say yeah go be an artist but it’s not that easy you got to get by, you might need a part time job or a full-time job to get a roof over your head but never lose your interest in the arts because that’s what makes you happy. Remember why you do it, not because you get paid for it.

At what point should a young person feel comfortable abandoning college for the sake of having enough time for other things like art or work? - Honestly- school is always going to be there, it’s not like it’s gonna go anywhere. The classes you took are still going to follow you, so you can always go back to it. Of course, the difficulty would be then paying for school, that’s always going to be there. For my personal case, it was my parents divorcing so I had to quit school completely and get a job and fend for myself or else I’d be couch surfing for a couple years while I finished school which I didn’t want to happen. I also had to make sure my mom had to a place to stay. Make the best decision with the information you have at the time. As an artist, you will benefit more than to not go to school to actually experience things rather than just reading from a book. I think when it comes to art, that’s always the situation like I’m not going to go get a Bachelor’s degree in studio arts because I’d rather just go do it than be taught from a school. And maybe it’s not bad, go to school for studio arts for a little bit, but then you learn what you needed from it and use it, actually implement it. And you always have to make that space for yourself to make art so it’s better to keep that in mind. Like my sister was a really good artist and unfortunately had a kid at a young age and that forced her to go to school and become a nurse and which now she has accomplished that as a nurse, has a great position, but you know but no longer has that in her life as drawing goes and I think she could be better off if she still had that in her life as far as her mental health and being sane I guess haha.

How do you suggest people have tolerance in the hate-filled world we live in today? - Tolerance is only to a certain extent, like I don’t want to be absolutist either because I think once someone’s ideals become actions that actually hurt people, that’s when you have to react. It’s easier to be tolerant to ideas than actually actions because they’re just inside their head. It’s not until it becomes actions when that tolerance crap goes out the window. And it’s hard, you want to be peaceful and you want to be understanding but it’s only to a certain extent.

Do you think people have the right to get violent in protesting? - Well I think when it comes to the destruction of property it depends on what the message is because whatever they’re combatting like white supremacy, has caused way more damage to actual human beings than to property. So, when people protested when Trump came here, it’s like yeah but the hatred that he was spewing at his rallies is much more hurtful than a broken window. A few burnt trashcans and a few broken windows compared to a candidate for president that’s calling for the abolishment of Mexicans and no Muslims in the country? That’s just to me insane so yeah it just depends on what the message is. Like when it comes to punching a nazi, like their deliberate existence is the eradication or genocide of an entire people so it’s like how could you be okay with that?

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Jakeline Interview of Ernestine Romero

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Adrian Chavez Interview Pt.3

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Adrian Chavez Interview Pt.2

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Adrian Chavez Interview Pt.1