(Photo courtesy of Juan Barajas)

Creative Writing

Poem: East Los Angeles – Motivation and happiness

I remember seeing a cop and gang shootout by my house and I can remember how scared and frightened I was. I remember thinking that these gangsters were bad people and deserved what happened to them. I remember hearing them argue about how they are going to pay their rent. Now I look back and…
<a href="https://highschool.latimes.com/author/juanbarajas299/" target="_self">Juan Barajas</a>

Juan Barajas

April 19, 2019

I remember seeing a cop and gang shootout by my house and I can remember how scared and frightened I was.

I remember thinking that these gangsters were bad people and deserved what happened to them. I remember hearing them argue about how they are going to pay their rent.

Now I look back and think and these were people trying to survive and didn’t deserve what happened to them. I can still hear and remember their faces.

I remember listening to Motley Crue for the first time thinking they were the heaviest band ever. I felt like I was taken to another world.

I remember going to church on Sunday mornings and hearing the word of the lord. I could hear the people praying and standing up so that they can give money to the church.

I remember my first day in High School, I was trying to fit in and be cool and I remember how disgusting the school food tasted.

I remember playing with my grandpa outside my house and then he would make a torta, I loved the smooth taste of the turkey.

I remember playing hide and seek hiding like a mouse. I remember being so scared it felt like a monster was chasing me.

I remember watching the yearly parade that passed by my house and seeing people dance, the horse walking and pooping, and giving sodas to people that passed by.

I remember when I stayed up on Saturdays and heard parties around me, I heard the music and the people dancing.

I can remember when I would play video games and eat junk food all night long, it was raining, and it felt like the rain was yelling because it was so loud.

I remember the day I broke my arm and I can remember hearing kids laughing around me while they still played soccer, it felt like I was dying.

I can hear birds chirping in the morning when I wake up, sometimes I think, and I wonder if they are going through life like we are.

I remember watching La Bamba for the first time and thinking it was the best movie I’ve ever seen. I remember the scene where Ritchie Valen’s mom finds out he died through the radio. I can feel the shock she felt.

I still watch that movie hoping that every time Ritchie doesn’t go on the plane and he is still alive because of it.

I can remember when I all I heard in the radio was Nickelback and I heard my family singing the lyrics to “Photograph.”

I remember going to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and seeing the stars of all famous celebrities and musicians, I thought to myself that I want my name to be there.

We all have dreams, I hear people tell me that dreams are just dreams and that’s all they should be.

I can hear family doubting me that I can live as a musician. I think to myself I must try because If not how else could I know?

What is East LA? I think East LA is place where people dream of a better life, it’s a place where the food tastes authentic and is something you’ll never get anywhere else.

Scholar-athlete Cody Going: off to Division 1

Scholar-athlete Cody Going: off to Division 1

Cody Going has been in Mission Viejo high school’s football program, a team ranked number four in California by MaxPreps, for five long years. From his time in eighth grade to now he’s been able to see the athletes at Mission Viejo High grow from teammates to a...