Can you start with your name and age?
My name is Ashlin, and I’m 17.

Where is your hometown?
I was born in Guatemala, and my hometown is there because that's where I grew up. I lived there for eight years, and I’ve been in L.A. for nine years.

What school do you go to? Do you enjoy it?
USC Hybrid [High School]. I do like it. It's really good; they have a lot of clubs, and [they tell us], ‘Please make your own [club] too.’ If you want to start a club, they let you. It also has a lot of sports. 

Are you in any clubs at your school?
Last year, I was in psychology. I'm doing psychology again this year. I also want to [join] a singing club because I love singing and music club. Right now, I'm the current president of the club I’m in, which is the National Dance Honor Society. I’m in charge of attendance and adding more students to the club to make it big.

What do you guys do in that club?
In dance, we have events, [such as] homecoming. Events are a big thing with a lot of people. For the first meeting, we will have a Just Dance competition, and everybody will do Just Dance so we can feel comfortable. The vision is to make everybody feel safe, as if nobody's being judged. We all have different styles, and that's why I tell everybody, “We are all different in our own ways, so nobody is going to be judged by the way they move because we all have different backgrounds.”

You said you like music; is there a specific genre of music you like? 
I love dancing and music, especially Hispanic music. I also like rap. I could never, never do rap — I talk too slow — but I like listening to it. I also love to listen to calm music and love songs; they’re really inspiring.

Is there anything you do outside of school, like hobbies or anything else you're interested in?
I love painting. I just did some paintings about two weeks ago for a program I was in that had just finished. I had to do a zine — basically, create an inspirational painting for people who do drugs. I did two sides, one side bright and the other red and black. [For the writing], I talked positively about what you can achieve [without] taking drugs. Then, for the other one, I spoke about the effects, where they live in a crazy world where you literally don't care about anything. It was inspiring, and [the program organizer] loved it. I was looking at it and thought, I love how it came out.

What kind of painting do you like [to do]? 
I like watercolor. I love combining colors and fading, like [when] you start from dark to bright colors. It’s so interesting and satisfying, and I like doing it. I enjoy painting mountains or hearts. I made one big heart with some trees in the middle. And I like writing words in it, like inspirational quotes.

What's your favorite childhood memory? 
When I was 7 years old, I would go with my cousins to this park with trees with mangos and this fruit called jocote. They’re so good. We would climb the tree and get the mangos and jocotes; some were green, and they [were] sour. We would get them in a big bucket and put lemon and flavor in them. It was so good.

Have you traveled anywhere?
New York for my uncle's wedding. It was nice. In New York, it was funny because we were walking on the street, and out of nowhere, a big rat passed through our feet. I was like, “Oh no, this is not okay,” and we were laughing, and I was [thinking], Oh my God, how could this happen here? There’s a lot of people [there]. When I got off the train with my mom and my family, oh my God, there were a lot of people. 

Do you work or live in Koreatown?
I'm thinking of working and helping out my parents. I live far away. Do you know the Coliseum? [I live] like right there. 

What are your thoughts on Koreatown? 
Koreatown is supportive. I started doing a program [there] last year, and we were doing a lot of activities. Koreatown is nice and supportive, and they [community members] love helping others and providing resources. That’s big.

Do you have a significant memory in Koreatown?
My most significant memory is of just walking around the parks in Koreatown. I live really far [away]. I like walking around [Koreatown] but don’t have a specific place to go.

What languages do you know how to speak?
My first language is Spanish, and my second one is English. I want to learn French, German, and Italian.