My name is Mariana, but I was originally going to be named Plutarca. The reason for that is because I live with a really Catholic family, and my mother’s favorite Saint happens to be called Plutarco. Needless to say I am glad she changed her mind and actually named me after one of the Virgin Marys. I’ve lived in East Los Angeles practically my whole life so I am used to the diversity, crowded areas, the great amount of graffiti, and the strange people who walk the streets. I usually encounter such people when I go running at my local park. I enjoy long runs because I spend the whole time asking myself things like whether or not numbers are real. I genuinely love wasting time thinking philosophically. It may sound a little odd and the reason I mention it is because I pass most of my days doing so, therefore it’s a big part of who I am. Another thing worth mentioning is that I didn’t know English until the third grade. My third grade class spoke fluent English from the beginning of the school year and I was very intimidated. It’s not like the other kids bullied me though. Some girls would actually invite me to play with them. But rather than play with them I would just sit by myself and draw everything that came to my head in my Dora themed notebooks. I am very thankful for isolating myself back then because now I am a decent artist. In fact, this Summer I managed to sell a few of my canvas paintings. Although it broke my heart to give them away, I still felt proud. Out of all the things I’ve mentioned about me, art is the one that would sum me up the best. I like to see the different interpretations in art and literature because it’s like looking through the vision of someone else. I want to write about everything that I believe deserves to be written about. It would be great to have people read about my perspective on things, hence my sudden interest in journalism.