This past Thursday I met one of my classmates named Shannelle Cruz. Her major is Health Care Administration. It is also her last semester at CSULB. Her hobbies are Tahitian dance, going to the gym, hiking, watching movies, and likes to try new food places. She was born and raised in Long Beach like myself. Shannelle is currently interning at a care giving agency. She is gaining experience with HR and wants to work in a hospital setting. Also, wants to gain more experience working in a hospital.
When we talked about the classmate question of the week we talked about family, culture and friends. Shannelle said that her family is what keeps her grounded. Also her Filipino culture. She talked about her parents being divorced when she was little. I can relate to her because my parents split up about 3 years ago. She appreciates her grandparents because they took care of her along with her Mom and Stepdad.
When I thought about “What do you swim in?”, the first thing that came to mind is my parents. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them and for having me in California instead of Honduras or El Salvador. I think in my culture family is always first and I have so much support from them. As I get older I want to spend as much time with them because anything can happen at any moment. Another thing is my Salvadorean and Hondurean culture. It is what makes me who I am and I love being bilingual. Hearing my parents speak Spanish on a daily basis and when they talk about what they went through back in their countries. How they got here and made a better life is fascinating to me and it pushes me to be like them.
I think Shannelle and I shared many similar ideas. We also have some things in common like being born and raised in Long Beach and it is our last semester at CSULB. She was friendly and we had a good conversation overall. 🙂
Here are some pictures of the Gatov-East Gallery, where Shannelle and I had our conversation.
This painting is by Sery Kwon and Coleton Kargi Palmer.
This painting is by Jarand Abad and Peter MaCaulay.
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