My name is Julian Martinez, I was born in New York City Manhattan near midtown. I was never really comfortable confiding with my father because of his temperament so my mother was the first parent I can console to always. My father was born in Puerto Rico, Gurabo, and my mother was born in New York City like me. Starting off in elementary school I can remember going to school walking to the building to see the colorful entrance and school faculty welcoming me with big smiles. In elementary school, I was able to learn how to write my letters and how to add numbers. But the most intriguing thing that was visible to me in elementary school was the friends I made. My peers and friends were able to help me out with any struggles I had with the curriculum. In order to make progress in my school, we needed to take a reading test. I can remember reading a story about a girl in Thailand after a tsunami walking over the damage of her home, and that’s when I first realized how truly lucky I was to be in my position financially and locally. My teachers were able to give enough discipline but also be entertaining while teaching and the feeling of learning never truly occurred to me how fun it could actually be. By middle school is when I was starting to mold into a more mature and stronger version of myself. In middle school, I was able to learn the most basic yet important math and writing skills. These skills were the skills I took and held with me for my future. I don’t know how I would have been able to succeed without the scary promotion in doubt letters my mother used to receive. These letters would terrify my mother and put stress and pressure on me even though I never failed a class ever. These letters taught me that I must be on time with my work in order to maintain order and balance in life. The memories that I had in kindergarten with my first communications and friendships I had shown the type of person I was. If I saw my friends or peer’s in trouble I would be there for them, talk to them and try to let them know that it would all be okay. The friends I made in middle school stuck really close to me and I kept my traits of generosity and kindness for others. But I realized how being short in middle school caused discrimination from others, but my closest friends that I have would be there for me to tell me that I should just be myself and I should embrace it. I always hated my short height and still do to this day but school molded me to take discrimination and hate and ignore it but most
importantly to love myself which is what I’m still trying to succeed fully till this very day. High school taught me how to express myself in words out loud. My school unlike other schools that require regents, mine required exhibitions. Exhibitions were a series of presentations for each major subject math, English, science. My friends in High school were the most important friends in my life. These peers who have been through the education system just like me and had similar interest and personality traits, these were my true soul friends. Teachers were able to make group projects and assignments and connecting with my friends may have been the worst and best
choice for these assignments. I was able to have many friends in high school, which I adapted their attitudes body language, and slang. While it may not be the most professional I find myself at home with these things knowing that I live in New York City. I remember one of the texts that I had in my very first English college class. It was called “Maybe I Could Save Myself By Writing” by José Olivarez. I was reading this text and stopping and thinking to myself why this guy did not have a similar environment growing up like me what he did have was a realization for something. “Maybe I could write the stories I was craving to read. Maybe I could save myself by writing.”(Olivartez, 2018). This quote struck me because it reminded me of the story I had when I was in a computer science class. He may have found his saving passion as writing but I found mine in computer science, to be able to code something and watch the work that I did run, was the most beautiful experience I had in my life.