Rocklin High Flash June 2018

The

FLASH

Next Generation

We all have a family.

Whether it is made up of five members or five hundred. They are the best friends we can turn to in times of need, in times of triumph and the middle ground between. Without them we would only be half the people we are. So in honor of all things family, culture and tradition, we composed a little collection of stories about Rocklin High School students and their own families. We hope you enjoy learning more about the peers that surround you and get a taste of the diversity and the cultural pride that comes with them.

The Flash is a student media production of Rocklin High School. It is created under the policies published on the school website under the media. The advanced journalism class is responsible for all content and the Flash is a public forum. It is created for students, by students, about students. For inquiries contact the staff at RocklinHSFlash@rocklinusd.org.

C

on ten ts

Passing Down Traditions The Nightmare of the American Dream 6,000 Miles Later Following in His Father's Footsteps Just Chuka Sisters Not Twins Bring the Bass Family Matters From the UK to the US The Family Business Crowley Celebrations Benzels

STAFF Naeirika Neev Maria Hudson

...2 ...3

Jimmy Murphy Alex Ragan Lacey Richardson Josue Sanchez Janae Schmidt

...4

Emma Conway

...5

Anne Fey

Hayden Essley Emily Hioco

...6

Kailyn J Beily Julia Lynn

...7

Nik McClaughry

...8

Alexia Najera

...9

Casey Miller Taylor Olivas Jenna Reis

. . . 10

Darian Skultety

. . . 11

Caitlin Caffery

. . . 13 . . . 15

Alex Verhaag Miranda DaVoulas Max Diven Justin Angellar Nikki Bhatia Abbey Connell Grace Gaumer Audrey Mayer Advisor: Casey Nichols

A d ob o I ng r e di e n t s 2 lbs. chick en thighs cu t in to serving piece s 5 piece s h a rd boiled egg s 2 cups chick en broth

Pa s si ng D ow n Tr a di t ion s Joanne Pe’s family passes down cultural tradition throughout the generations Families around the world have unique traditions that they pass on through many generations.

Some might be once a year for birthdays or Christmas, but for freshman Joanne Pe, keeping up the traditions is a weekly task.

Joanne’s family loves to cook, because every since many generations ago, her Filipino ancestors have cooked and given food back to everyone in the community.

“We would sell food, not even sell, we would give away food for every event. My mom always taught me to appreciate food, and to stay true to my culture and cook Filipino food, and to pass that down to my children, so I have whole recipe books filled with recipes from my grandparents,” Joanne says.

Joanne is not exactly sure when this tradition began; all she knows is it started with her “great-great-great-great grandparents” in the Philippines a long time ago. Joanne appreciates these traditions because she is thoroughly fond of spending time with her family.

“It’s not just the food that I enjoy, it’s being around my family and the environment we create together.”

The Pe family cooks together every weekend, and the gathering consists of Joanne, her mother and sometimes her aunt.

Joanne and her family cook an array of different Filipino dishes.

“We cook adobo a lot, we do bola-bola, and we’ll do dessert sometimes. We usually share with the community, because we make too much food. We’ll go to their houses, or we’ll call them up and be like ‘we have some extra food if you want it’.”

The key to every family tradition is being around your loved ones and participating in activities you all enjoy. The Pe family lives a clear representation of spending joyous time like this.

5 table spoons da r k soy sauce 3 table spoons vineg a r 6 to 8 clove s g a r lic , crushed 1 table spoon whole pe ppercorn 4 piece s dried bay le ave s Sa lt to ta ste (op tiona l) 3 table spoons cooking oil I ns t ru c t ions C ombine chick en, soy sauce, whole pe ppercorn, and h a l f of the crushed g a r lic in a l a rge bowl. Mi x we l l and ensure th at the chick en gets coated wi th the m a rinade. C over the bowl and m a rinate for at le a st 1 hour.

Note: the longer the time to m a rinate, the bet ter.

He at oil in a cooking pot Add the rem aining crushed g a r lic. C ook un til the g a r lic sta rts to turn brown.

Add the m a rinated chick en including the m a rinade. Stir and cook for 3 minu te s.

Pour the chick en broth in to the pot. L et boil.

Add the bay le ave s and pour the vineg a r in to the pot. L et boil.

Stir and cover the pot. C on tinue to cook un til the chick en gets tender and the sauce reduce s to your pre ference.

Add sa lt (only if needed) and then add the egg s. Stir and cook for 2 minu te s more.

Adobo By: Nikki Bhatia and Miranda DaVoulas

Tinola

Tr ansfer to a serving pl ate.

Serve.

The Nightmare of the American Dream

The story of a local Immigrant family “Mexican born and raised by Peruvian parents, I was always a foreigner, but I never felt alienated until residing in America.”

"It was not my decision, but I still suffer the repercussions."

“My parents see the American Dream in me, but it feels like a nightmare."

Y

ou bump into a kid at your school, or on the street and immediately it happens.

Your eyes flick up and down quickly; you’re sizing them up. Hair color. Skin color. Clothes. Accent. Features. And then the judgement settles in. Or the bias. Or the fascination. Maybe even all three.

In a community such as Rocklin, where a majority clearly dominates, the assumption is made that if someone has dark hair and or golden brown skin they’re surely different to begin with.

I had a lovely chat with a student on our campus who was excited, yet hesitant to talk about their family’s story and background but when I told them that they could remain anonymous, they soon opened up. What I came to discover about them and their family was intriguing.

“Raised by Peruvian parents [in another Latin American country], I was always a foreigner, but I never felt alienated until residing in America.”

“Even hyper-aware of the cultural and language differences, academic subjects betrayed me. Letters in the alphabet were rearranged in strange ways I could discern but no longer found meaning to.

Recognizing the universality of the Arabic number system brought tears of joy to my eyes. Choosing to pursue this path of numbers and logic, my sophomore year I encountered a new application for math: coding.”

“My parents see the American Dream in me, but it feels like a nightmare. It’s scary to realize that despite excelling in other papers, the lack of a single one can cause my deportation. It was not my decision, but I still suffer the repercussions. Yes, I am illegal, but still have dreams and hopes of revolutionizing the world.”“Many continue to doubt me because of my background, but they don't know how much I have worked to get here.”

“My family's story is one of resilience, and now it's my turn to continue its legacy.”

By: Maria Hudson, Naerika Neev

3

6,0 0 0 M i l e s L at e r . . .

By:Hayden Essley

Student from Egypt stays true to religious values Rocklin High, like the United States itself, is a boiling pot of many different cultures and people, from those who come from different countries ranging from the United Kingdom to Mongolia, as well as students coming from our own backyards but inheriting their ancestors culture and methods of life.

One student of the foremost mentioned is Nouran Badawy, a sophomore at Rocklin High who moved from Egypt when she was four years old.

Nouran has had a taste of both Egyptian life and American life while still keeping true to her family’s Muslim traditions.

“The positives of coming from a Muslim background kind of gives us something to believe in when we are in a bad time or place, and it gives us something to wake up and to believe in and look for,” says Nouran.

“The negatives, in my opinion, are the fact that there’s still lots of prejudice and ignorance going on against Muslims in this country; it doesn’t come here to Rocklin but it’s still very prevalent. There’s also a few things that I can't do, like eat certain foods or do anything like that, but I tend to look beyond that.”

Nouran is not planning on moving back to Egypt despite having family there.

“Personally, I don’t want to move back to Egypt, nor do my parents.

Unless they retire or I finish school, because they basically moved here for my education. I do tend to miss them though, as my entire family is over there, but we still get to venture over once a year, but I feel like we moved here for a good reason,” says Nouran.

Nouran expresses her difference in life from both countries, explaining, “Although Egypt may be a third world country, the economy is getting a little better but the education still isn’t as good as the US; personally I think both the US and California are great places to live and the people here are great as well.”

Despite having to leave her family behind in Egypt, Nouran feels as if her move was definitely beneficial to both her education and way of life, both in living peacefully as a regular citizen of the US, and still staying very traditional to her family’s Muslim values and traditions.

Sm a l l e r t h a n you t houg h t

According to a newer estimate done in 2016, there were 3.3 million Muslims living in the United States, about 1 percent of the total U.S. population. American Muslims come from various backgrounds and, according to a 2009 Gallup poll, are one of the most racially diverse religious groups in the United States. All together, Muslims only make up about two percent of the population, estimated.

Islam is the world's second-largest religion and the fastest-growing major religion in the world, with over 1.8 billion followers or 24.1percent of the global population, known as Muslims.

Muslims make up a majority of the population in 50 countries More than 60 percent of Muslims in the United States are immigrants and more than 70 percent are legal citizens. The United States has the lowest population of Muslims globally with the next closest region, Continental Europe, having the next lowest population at 44 million. The population is estimated to double by 2030 due to more immigration and higher birth rates.

By:Hayden Essley

FOLLOWING IN HIS FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS MilSim to military

J

oe LeFlore, a sophomore at Rocklin High School, follows in his dad’s footsteps by doing MilSim, and hoping to go to the military in his future.

MilSim, also known as airsofting, simulates military and police close quarters combat situations with replicas of military guns.

The replicas shoot plastic bb’s that don’t cause much pain. MilSim is an exciting but expensive sport; the replicas can be just as expensive as the real version.

Police also use this sport for training. They enter a house and scan as they would, but instead of firing blanks, they fire these small inexpensive bb’s.

their college, they pay in time served. West Point is the only college in America to do this with their students.

“The military aspect to MilSim is important to me, as I always wanted to join the military, as my father, and grandpa did,” Joe further explains.

In some families, children join the “family business,” but in this case, that is the military. The military in 2017 had 1.3 million service members and 800,000 off duty. 0.4 percent of Americans are active duty military and 7.3 percent are veterans.

By Darian Skultety

Retired and active duty military men and women also use this sport for fun, and teach their children how they should react in similar situations.

Joe LeFlore and his dad go airsofting and build their guns together, while also learning safety with firearms and sharing a great bonding experience.

“Airsofting with my dad has compelled me more to join the military. It’s fun and I can hang out with my dad,” says Joe. He also wants to follow his father’s academic path by enrolling into the United States Military Academy, otherwise known as West Point, located in New York.

“It has always been a dream of mine to go to West Point and pay the college back with time serving in the military,” says Joe. “I want to go to the best college in America, then serve my country.”

As Joe states here, at West Point there is no tuition.

Instead, however many years the student goes to

5

JUST CHUKA

5,894 Miles and Three Languages Later Chuluunbayar Bayarbat, popularly known by his teachers and peers as Chuka, is a senior at Rocklin High School. On August 15, 2015, Chuka, along with his family, moved to Rocklin all the way from Mongolia.

Having lived in Mongolia for the majority of his life, Chuka had to quickly adjust to American language and culture.

“The most difficult thing was not being able to make conversation with other people, and if I tried, I would get made fun of because I was still learning English.

There are so many different rules here and everything was new to me so it took a while to adjust.” explained Chuka.

Although fluent in Mongolian and now English, Chuka is also able to speak Russian when needed.

“It gets confusing sometimes, because sometimes I’ll accidentally mix up languages depending on who I’m talking

to. I also get embarrassed sometimes because if I’m with my friends and my parents call me, I have to start talking in a different language, because they don’t speak english at all.” said Chuka.

Even though he left his life in Mongolia behind, Chuka and his family continue to remember their Mongolian traditions.

“Mongolia actually has a lot of traditions, but there is one big one. It happens between the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

Basically, what you do is you visit all of your family members that are on your family tree, but we have to wear our traditional suits and clothes,” said Chuka.

Many people might think that being trilingual is too challenging or too confusing, however, Chuka considers it to be an advantage.

“I mean I’m able to make more friends since I can communicate with multiple groups of people, and speaking in different languages kind of makes things more fun,” said Chuka.

After moving 5,894 miles away, learning an additional language, and starting a new life in a new country, Chuka still manages to have a positive outlook on life.

By: Cailyn Caffrey, Grace Gaumer

"The most difficult thing was not being able to make conversations with other people" "Sometimes I'll accidentally mix up languages"

Si s t e r s No t Tw i n s Andrea Valentini reflects on sister's advice for high school

L

ike most younger siblings, Andrea Valentini looks up to her older sister, Elise, for everything from outfit choices to what classes to take. As a senior, Andrea is following in her older sister’s footsteps and is now reflecting on how Elise’s advice helped her to get through high school.

Elise Valentini graduated from RHS in 2011, which makes her seven years older than Andrea. During her time in high school, she was apart of the dance team and was the yearbook editor her senior year. After graduating, she attended UCLA and is now working is now in nursing school at Yale.

Much like her sister, Andrea has been on the dance team all four years of high school and is one of the editor’s for the yearbook.

Additionally, Andrea has recently committed to UC Irvine for computer science.

Having seen her sister thrive and achieve success throughout the years, Andrea has taken Elise’s advice into close consideration in terms of what activities to try and what classes to take.

“We’re both very ambitious people, so she would advise me on what she thought I could handle,” said Andrea about how Elise helped her with her four year plan.

With her sister on her side, Andrea felt less fear about beginning high school and all of the change that comes along with it.

Whenever she was unsure about a class, Andrea would call Elise to help her weigh the pros and cons. Whenever she was unsure about activities to get involved in, Andrea would consult her sister about the benefits of the activities and whether they would be worth trying out.

One of the classes that Elise recommended to Andrea is yearbook.

As a freshman, Andrea signed up for the class and became deeply involved with it much like her sister. This led to Andrea’s decision to take on the role as yearbook editor, despite the immense amount of

pressure senior year brings.

Besides helping her map out her four year plan, Elise inspired Andrea to begin taking dance classes. As a little girl, Andrea remembers watching her sister take dance classes. She wanted to begin dancing just like her older sister, and has been dancing ever since.

Elise and Andrea both took classes at the dance studio, Dance Elite, where Andrea has been on competition teams since she seven Additionally, Andrea is one of the dance team captains much like her sister was during her senior year at RHS. Despite their abundance of similarities, Andrea kept their differences in mind when she chose to take classes that her sister did.

Andrea took all the same classes as her sister in her freshman year, but once sophomore year came along Andrea began forging her own path, with her sister’s advice in mind.

“Her interests have always been in medicine, but I knew early on that wasn’t where I fit. I started taking more technological classes, like AP Computer Science, and loved it,” Andrea said.

Even though Elise went off to college when Andrea was 11, that has not stood in the way of the special bond that they share. Because they are both highly motivated, they understand each other in a way that not many other people do.

“Whenever I’m really, really stressed, I’ll call [Elise] which always helps. She helps me to take my mind off my stresses for a while,” said Andrea.

Despite the age gap between the two, Andrea and Elise have a bond that has only been strengthened by similar journeys they have shared.

By Audrey Mayer 7

Bring the

BASS

Grace Deveny and her family live the music life

W

hether it be father, mother, sister or uncle, you will find a member of the Deveny family playing music. Grace Deveny, a sophomore, has continued her familys’ passed down tradition of music.

Ever since she was little, Grace’s fingers have been strumming a guitar and dancing across the piano. She attributes this to both of her parents and especially her uncle.

“My uncle was a really big influence on me in music, with him playing in three bands and playing piano. He’s the one that started me off,” Grace says. “[My uncle and I] combine on a lot of songs.

He’ll play guitar and I’ll play piano or vice versa, and we'll listen to music and just play it by ear.”

According to Grace, watching her uncle play with his bands inspires her to be like him, and watching them play even helps her get better at other instruments, like the saxophone.

“I went to one [gig] and saw a saxophone player, and I was currently playing saxophone, so I learned a song that he told me to learn and now I can go play with them” says Grace. “It was really cool and it kind of inspired me to go farther with saxophone because then I saw how good people can be on it, and I wanted to follow through with it.”

Beside her uncle, her parents are huge supporters and contributors to Grace’s love of music.

“It makes both my parents extremely happy when I can learn a new complicated song and I can show them the skills I learn over time.

The way they’re impressed by the way I play makes me want to continue playing.”

Grace’s father used to play music in college, but with work and other activities on his plate, music can no longer be his priority. This drives Grace even further to continue with music. “He can’t play anymore, so that’s what he really pushes me to do so I can carry it on and he can still listen to it.”

Grace doesn’t want to let her passion for music end soon, saying, “I plan on carrying music through college, and more just playing by myself. I work better like that, just playing with my family. I don’t plan on doing anything outside of college and stuff like that.”

The family influence in the Deveny family is one that is pleasing to the ear, and Grace Deveny has continued this long time family tradition of music.

By Casey Miller

"Music just makes everything more fun" - Lacey Richardson

"Music is important because it can put you in a certain mood" - Sydney Becker

"Music can make you happy" - Paeli Sekulich

"Music helps me focus and block distractions" - Leah Mayer

"Music helps me preform better in sports" - Justin Cheap

"Music provides a gateway to another world that lets me lose myself in it and feel new emotions" - Hayden Essley

Fa m i ly m at t e r s Athletes who are following in their siblings footsteps

M

ultiple student athletes have been inspired to play sports because of an older sibling.

Growing up around Rocklin High School sports and looking up to older siblings has paved the way for senior athletes Chase Webb and Hunter Gonzalez.

Both families have left an impact on Rocklin High for multiple generations.

Chase is a senior baseball player at Rocklin, who has followed in his brother’s footsteps.

Logan Webb, Chase’s older brother, played Quarterback on the football team and played baseball at Rocklin before pursuing his dream of playing professional baseball with the San Francisco Giants. This inspired Chase to also play quarterback and pitch for the Varsity baseball team at Rocklin.

“My brother is always there for me when I need advice, so I do text him a lot to ask for advice on how to improve my game,” says Chase.

Chase started baseball at an early age, and while Logan was not the reason Chase started playing baseball, he has been Chase’s biggest supporter. Not only does Chase look to his brother for advice on the field, “[he]also [looks] up to the kind of person [his] brother is, and always [knows] he is there for [him].”

Pictured above: Logan (Left) and Chase (right).

Logan is currently playing as a pitcher for the San Fransisco Giants baseball team. Chase is finishing his senior year of high school, afterwards he will attend college.

Another student athlete on campus who is the next generation in a long line of athletes is Hunter Gonzalez. Also a senior at Rocklin, Hunter is a dual sport athlete that competes in football and wrestling, just like his brother Skyler did years before.

Both Hunter and Skyler played linebacker at Rocklin High, and both were incredible wrestlers in their respective weight classes.

“I text Skyler all the time. He always watches my games and my matches, and he gives me critiques. He also gives me guidance in my life in general,” said Hunter. Hunter put these critiques to great use and set the school record for most tackles in a football season. “He’s like another coach for me. I’m really thankful to have him as a mentor.”

Pictured above: Hunter (left) and Skyler (right). Skyler is wrapping up his studies at the University of Alabama and plans to become a math teacher after college.

Hunter is finishing up his senior year of high school. He will attend collegehe graduates.

Both of the boys are making their families proud, both in the classroom and in the athletic world.

By: Max Diven and Nick Mcclaughry

9

From the UK to the US

M

any people say that they can’t recall what their lives were like before the ages of five to six, but for twins, Alexander and Oliver Hill, they experienced a lot worth remembering before they moved from Bristol, England to Rocklin, California. The five-yearold boys moved across seas from their humble abode in the United Kingdom in January of 2005 due to their fathers job, with their lives ahead of them.

“The biggest thing that stands out looking back, or even when I go back to visit, I almost feel claustrophobic, because of the tighter knit architecture in England. I feel like in the United States, especially in California, there is so much more space, it feels refreshing,” Alexander says of the significant differences between the two places.

Although they are both glad that they live in California now, there are some things that they miss from their old home. “The main difference for me is that all of our family lives over there;many of my friends here have the luxury of visiting their grandparents all the time, or seeing cousins all the time, and we used to be able to do that, but now we just have our immediate family.”

To get to see their extended family, they visit England every four to five years, normally over a school break, but they feel lucky that their British family comes to visit them more often than they do.

Obviously, leaving any hometown, there will always be things left behind that are missed. Alexander is very involved in his art here in California and has created his own brand called Euphoria, featuring his production of graphic t-shirts that he has made profit off of.

He shares about ties in the United Kingdom about art and fashion,“Something I think about a lot is the popular artists that have come from where I used to live, the street artist movement from Bristol and even the art culture in general is incredible. Also the streetwear culture in London is just booming, so with being so invested in my art and fashion, it makes me sad that I won’t be able to experience art at that origin.”

"Our first day of kindergarden in Bristol" -AH

Looking at traditions and the overall cultures of each place, the boys said that there were notable differences as well as similarities.

Oliver explains some of their differing traditions, saying, “The way we celebrate Thanksgiving is very different, I feel like our family’s is very lowkey, mainly because we don’t have the big family to celebrate with. We also celebrate Boxing Day, which is the day after Christmas and very popular in England, so basically it is like a second Christmas celebration with gifts and such.”

For other holidays, it is all mainly the same type of festivities, but they spoke about a very interesting and different tradition that they continued when they moved here, called the “Sunday Lunch.”

He explains, “Every Sunday, our family has a very big dinner and we make the same meal every time, similar to a Thanksgiving meal, we have roasted chicken, potatoes and vegetables.”

The boys will always have ties to their British roots, but they can agree that their lives here have shaped them into the people that they are today. They are thankful for what their parents have provided for them, and moving forward they will always have a second place to call home.

By: Abbey Connell, Lacey Richardson

"Picture day, 2004" -OH

"Traveling back to the UK to do some sight-seeing" -AH

Above: Mr. Esse working in the lab Right: Jennifer

Above: Karver, Elle, and Mrs. Knorzer Right: Elle reading to her mom's class

The Family Business Family's Influence on Career Aspirations From classes to career week to the college application process for some, high school equips students to plan for life after graduation-but some students have found that their career goals began at home instead of in the classroom.

For example, senior Jennifer Esse wants to enter the medical field just like her dad, Mr. Esse Esse, who is a clinical laboratory scientist at the Veterans Association.

“My dad has encouraged me and inspired me to become a doctor and everything,” Jennifer said. “He’s told me that I have a lot of compassion and concern for others, so I should use that in that career.”

Jennifer has learned from him about the character, work and skills needed for the medical field.

“I’ve just kind of seen how working in the medical field kind of is,” she said. “It’s very demanding, and… you have to have compassion and caring for your patients, and you also have to know a lot of science behind all the work you’re doing.”

Jennifer is not alone in having the advantage of footsteps in which to follow.

For senior Elle Knorzer, being the daughter of two teachers led to her own goal of being a transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, or first grade teacher.

Elle’s dad, RHS teacher Mr. Chris Knorzer, teaches Art I and Ceramics, and her mom, Mrs. Patty Knorzer, teaches transitional kindergarten at Rock Creek Elementary. According to Elle, growing

up in a family of two teachers both affected her personality and gave her an inside view of teaching.

“The personalities that I have come from my parents, so [I have] just the teacher personality,” Elle said. “And then always being around [my mom’s] class, and what she’s doing, I got to see every step she takes to prepare for her class.”

She’s seen first-hand both the value in teaching young children, and the kind of hands-on work teaching entails.

“I’m looking forward to helping [children] learn all the basic information that really is the first step into school and learning throughout their whole lives,” Elle said. “I’m excited to be that person to help them.”

Receiving insight into teaching from her parents has no doubt prepared Elle for a career in elementary education, but being an older sister might have prepared Elle even more.

Elle’s brother, Karver Knorzer is six years younger than Elle, and she has always been intentional about spending time with Karver.

“I got to see how to teach a little brother, and I enjoyed it,” she said. “I’m still teaching him.”

Whether family members influence students in their character or their career goals, and whether these family members are parents or siblings, the home is where one learns valuable lessons that will shape students’ futures after graduation.

By Anne Fey

11

C row l e y

C e l e br at ion s

R e c i pe : H A L L AC A

How This Rocklin Family Keeps Venezuelan To make an hallaca Traditions Alive. you will need the

By Emma Conway and Jenna Reis hether it is breaking a wishbone in Venezuela, who she unfortunately does not following; on Thanksgiving, or eating a get to see very often. special breakfast on your birthday, Right now in Venezuela, they are having traditions are all around. For senior Miranda • beef stew political problems. Riots are happening in the Crowley, these traditions come from deep streets everyday and people are getting killed. within her roots.

These riots are happening for several reasons, • onion Miranda’s mom was born in Venezuela and including an unsatisfactory leader. moved to the United States when she was “Anti-government protesters want Maduro ten. She brought her culture and her beliefs • bell pepper (Venezuela’s president) to step down, accusing with her, such as the hallaca and New Years him of eroding democracy. Meanwhile, Traditions.

Maduro has ordered the Venezuelan armed • ham An hallaca is a dish that consists of corn forces onto the streets to maintain order,” says dough stuffed with different types of stew. The a CNN article.

Crowley family dedicates a whole day to these Tourism has declined and is not encouraged, • olives “Venezuelan tamales.” and the people are struggling to get fair voting “It’s like our kind of Christmas party. We rights and elections. Due to these social and make hallacas and it’s a whole big process. political issues, it has been difficult for Miranda • garlic We have a hundred people in the house to see her family and Venezuela. and everyone makes their own hallaca. It “It is not safe, there are riots all over the place. takes days to prepare so it is a whole family • massa When my family does come over here, it takes process.” Crowley explains. a lot. They either can’t come a lot or stay too (dough) It is traditional in the Venezuelan culture to long.” have some variation of this party. Different Being away from family has inevitably had an families may put their own twist on it, but the Mix the beef stew, impact on the Crowley family, as it would any basis is the same: to enjoy a delicious dish in family who were in this situation. the company of your loved ones. onion. bell peppers, “[The problems in Venezuela are having an Another interesting tradition Miranda and her affect on my family]. For a long time we were family partake in occurs on New Years Eve ham, garlic, and all upset about it, because there is nothing you every year. can do, but you see your family going to the olives together. Fill “At midnight, you go outside and bring riots and fighting on the streets and people luggage with you, wearing yellow underwear getting killed. You feel very helpless.” under all your clothes. The luggage is for travel the meat filling in Miranda has honored her heritage in many in the new year. The yellow underwear is for ways throughout her life, through music as well happiness in the new year. Then you go in the massa and bake as dancing. circles outside.”

“For my mom, it was just like, if you’re at 350 for 25 This may seem like a strange tradition to do Venezuelan then you dance. It makes my every year, but for the Crowley family, it is mom really happy that my brother was so something they have been doing for decades. minutes or until passionate about it.”

Her mom brought this over from Venezuela, and they have continued with these traditions golden brown.

Miranda also recently auditioned for the ever since.

W

Miranda still has many family members living

Voice, which was a long time dream of hers.

Unfortunately, she did not advance further in

the show, but she continues to sing and play several instruments. Her family supported her in this endeavor, accompanying her out of state for this audition.

Performing has always been important for her family.

Her mom encouraged both her and her brother to dance. Miranda has been singing for many years and will continue to pursue this passion and use her culture to inspire her to do so.

“I definitely try and show my culture through my singing. I also play the cuatro which is a Venezuelan instrument.”

The ways Miranda has chosen to implicate her culture into everyday life are inspiring and impressive. She is passionate about her Venezuelan roots and plans to pass them down.

“When I have kids I will definitely try my hardest to keep these traditions alive.”

Tradition is defined as the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way. Everyone has traditions, even if they are small. It is the way we choose to honor our roots that makes all of our families unique.

13

“Learn to love and cherish time with family, it’s priceless.”

“Family is a constant support system; no matter how many mistakes you make, they still have your back”

“They support who you are as a person even if you aren’t following in their footsteps.”

“Family is hearing your people scream the loudest at your events.”

“They only roast you because they love you.”

“Family means no matter what you always help them, always protect them, and you do everything you can to make sure everything is okay with them. No one gets left behind and you always make them happy” “Family is your best friend group, there for the good times and the bad.”

“My family puts the fun in dysfunctional.”

“Family doesn’t end in blood.”

“Family cares for you. Not what you can do for them. Family is there.

For the good, bad, all of it. They got your back. Even when it hurts.

That’s family.”