You mentioned not liking being home and preferring to be outside a lot. What is your daily schedule like?

I had to change my daily schedule because school started. Before school, I was doing an internship, as I said. I would wake up at 5 a.m., start work at 7 a.m., get out of work at 1 p.m., and then go to the gym. From the gym, I’d end around 3:30 p.m., and soccer practice would [start] at 4 p.m. Now, I go directly from the gym to the soccer field close to my school. Soccer practice ends around 6-7 p.m., and from there, I'll go home, make something to eat, take a shower, and repeat the cycle.

What are the differences in your schedule between the school year and during summer break?

For now, I have to organize myself well because I have to decide whether to go to soccer practice after school or to the gym. If I go to the gym, then I cannot go to soccer practice, and if I go to soccer practice, I cannot go to the gym.

Do you have any favorite foods or drinks? 

There is a dessert I like; it’s like a little cake. It’s kind of [moist] on the inside, but it's so good. I don’t really know how to explain it. I haven't found it here [in Los Angeles]. It’s similar to tres leches (three milks) cake, but it's a bit different.

Now that you have joined KARS and you're more aware of these opioids or stimulants, do you see things differently?

Definitely! As I mentioned, I have an uncle who recently went through opioid addiction, and I didn't understand what he was going through. I didn't see why he was doing what he was doing or the reason behind it, but now I kind of understand the difficulties he was going through. I'm getting to know how he felt and what he was going through.

What are your plans for the future?

I plan to study business and finance, but I also [joined] KARS because you never know when you might [make career changes]. My second option would be psychology, and right now, I'm taking AP Psychology, so it could help me in the future if I plan to change my career.

Did you have any set goals when you were younger? 

When I was young, I wanted to join the military, but my parents always opposed it. I changed my goals, and now I want to go to college and study business and finance at USC.

Why didn't your parents like [the idea of you enlisting] in the military? 

I guess because of my mom. She has a background where her brother was part of the military, and he was killed at a young age. She always told me that as an example of why I should not join.

So there's no chance that you'll ever think about joining the military?

Like I said, you never know what might happen in the future. If something changes, I might still join. It would also help me because my parents are immigrants.

Are you a first-generation immigrant?

Yes.

Were you young when you immigrated, and do you still have memories of coming to the U.S.?

Yes, I [first came here] at age 8, but I went back to Guatemala and then came back again at 13. I have U.S. citizenship, so I have a passport. I could have come by plane, but I made the decision to come with [a family member] to help them get into the U.S., so I had to go through Mexico. I experienced what many immigrants go through, like hunger, coldness, and the worry they all feel.

A particular moment I remember was when we got stuck for 15 days and stayed in a place that was like a small cabin, a very little wooden house. There would be like 40 [people], and every bed was close to each other. It was a bed made of wood, and you just had a blanket. That was it. We were there for 15 days because I think they had difficulties passing us through [the border]. It was really, really cold over there, and [especially] at night, you will feel it — the one blanket wouldn't help. When morning came, I had to take a shower to stay clean, and I had to use cold water. It was the same thing every day. I probably ate like once a day [during the entire journey] and maybe once every two days during those 15 days [of waiting]. It was kind of rough, but I guess it builds character.

I think the big difference is that a lot of other people who were born here don’t ever experience that, and I think they overlook the seriousness of immigration. 

Crossing into the U.S. [the first time] was easy, and that's why I chose to come [as migrants do] because I actually thought it was going to be easy. But all the walking and every struggle over there is so hard. There are things that you don’t think will happen, and then they happen. If [border patrol agents] find you, they'll send you back, and you will lose all your money. You have to be careful.

I'm glad you all successfully came over. What are the biggest differences between your lifestyle in Guatemala and here?

Society-wise, I would say school. Over there, there is only one bus that can take you to school. If [you miss it], you'll be late for sure because it comes every 30 minutes. I had to be there at a specific time. [I’d have] to be outside my house at 7:30 a.m. just to take the bus. It’s much different in Guatemala because if there's no space, you would just have to [hang on from] outside the bus. I know it sounds weird, but many do it over there, and I even did it myself. The bus wouldn't even leave us in front of the school. It would just leave us about 10 or 15 minutes walking distance [from school], and from there, we’d just walk up a hill to school.