Diana Orellana
Diana is a junior at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, where she is a part of the Academic Leadership Community. Born and raised in Koreatown, she appreciates how close-knit and family-oriented her neighborhood is — her relatives even live on her block. Diana joined KARS to learn more about substance use and help support others in her community. She hopes to study aerospace engineering and enjoys math, theater, and leadership activities at school.
Trust Surrounds My Neighborhood
Interview by Lauren Gilbert
Please start with your name and age.
My name is Diana and I am 16 years old.
Where do you go to school?
I go to school at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, which has four academies. I also attend ALC, which stands for Academic Leadership Community. The academy is basically based on us becoming leaders and taking different leadership roles.
Do you have a specific program or career choice you're leaning toward?
I'm very indecisive. Growing up, I wanted to be a million things. In pre-K, I wanted to be a vet. That was before I discovered I have a million allergies. Then I wanted to be a teacher, but I realized I didn't have the patience for that. Then I wanted to be a judge, but that changed. Now I want to be an aerospace engineer.
What led you to want to become an aerospace engineer?
I give the credit to my mom. My mom has been so involved in my educational life for a long time. When I was in elementary school, any day I got off from school or any weekend, she would take me to the California Science Center. She would always take me to see the rocket ships — there's a special room. I forgot the name of the ship, but she would always take me to see the one that went into space. I think little me seeing that big rocket made me fantasize about building one myself.
If you could build a rocket, what would you name it?
Oh my gosh, what would I name it? I've never been asked that question. Maybe my last name. Just “Orellana” because I love my last name so much. I would love to place it on a rocket that goes to space.
Do you only want to build them? Or would you like to go to space?
Going to space is literally out of this world. It's crazy to think about actually being able to go to space. If I ever get the opportunity to do that, it wouldn't be an absolute no because it's just not something that everyone gets to do. I wouldn't say no to the option, but I would be scared about doing it because it's so abnormal and so many things could go wrong. I would overthink the whole process.
Where is your hometown?
My hometown is five minutes away from here, so it’s Koreatown.
What do you like about Koreatown?
I like how everything is nearby. I have a McDonald's a minute's walk from my house. I have a donut shop a minute's walk from my house. There are little boutiques just two minutes from my home. There's so much to do everywhere. [Everything] is so accessible when living in Koreatown. I like the convenience because my cousins and I all live in the same area. All of my family literally lives in the same neighborhood, so being able to go to one of the nearby places [allows me] to make so many memories. I’m glad that I have so much to do nearby.
Are you close with the majority of your family?
I have always been surrounded by family. I mentioned before that we all take up one neighborhood. Two buildings on my street are filled with my family members. If you see some guys hanging outside, you would think, Oh my gosh, they’re in a gang. They’re actually just my uncles talking outside the buildings and catching up with each other. It's really nice.
What are your thoughts on Koreatown?
Koreatown is very overlooked. When people think of Koreatown, they see it as a small place, but it's different for each person. Obviously, everyone has a [unique] experience with this neighborhood. Some people might be in the wrong crowd and just know the bad parts of Koreatown, but personally, I've seen the good parts of it. I love Koreatown.
What is the most significant memory you have of Koreatown?
A significant memory I have here is going out to eat. I love eating. It gives me so much joy just to eat. If you're telling me we have to hang out, it has to be with food. I love eating and going out with the people I know.
This one place in Koreatown called Starks — a fried chicken place — is so good. My favorite memory has to be eating there with my family. Even the cook recognizes me, which is kind of embarrassing when I think about it, because it's like, Damn, I'm that much of a fatass. But it makes me happy that I have something so accessible near me that I love. When they look at me, they're like, ‘I got you with the order.’ They already have it ready because they already know me.
What's your favorite type of food?
I will consume anything chicken. I love chicken. I don't know how vegetarians or vegans do it, but I cannot give up my chicken. Whether it's soup, fried, or grilled, I will eat it.
What is your favorite place in Koreatown?
It has to be my neighborhood again. I know I keep talking about my family, but I love them so much. I feel so blessed to have such a good family because not everyone is lucky enough to have a family they can truly trust. I feel like that trust surrounds my neighborhood and makes it my favorite place to be.
Do you have any siblings?
I have one older sister. We are very close. She used to hate me when I was younger. We would argue all the time. I’m being biased here, but I would never start the argument. We have a nine-year age difference, so I see her perspective. She had her own thoughts and stuff, and then a baby magically appeared. It was a change she had in her life. She wasn't used to having a little sister for so long, so we used to hate each other. Now that she's grown older, she kind of sees me as a daughter. She spoils me so much and takes me out everywhere. I feel like I probably wouldn't have gone out as much if it weren't for her being in my life.
It's really sweet hearing your admiration and love for your sister. Would you like to have kids someday?
I think so. Sometimes, I feel like I’m not good with kids because I’m the youngest sibling. So, with my little cousins, I'm not used to having that annoying little sibling around. When I am with my friends — I'm one of the older ones in my friend group — it kind of feels nice when I do older sister things. It feels like it's a motherly thing, so I would like to be a mother someday.
Do you think you already have those motherly instincts?
I don't think I do. I see the signs, but I still have many years to develop those actual motherly instincts.
Why did you join KARS?
Honestly, I joined KARS because I wanted another program [on my resume]. I want to go to college, so I wanted to do another program to say, “Oh, I did an internship,” and put that on my resume. I know I said I want to do aerospace engineering, but I'm still young, so I feel like it's good to explore my career options.
When [KYCC Prevention Specialist] Lizbeth and her other coworkers came to my school to talk about their program, I was interested. They said [the program focused on] Koreatown. So I was like, Oh, that's literally where I live. I thought it was something I should try.
When did they go to your school? Is that something they usually do?
My academy's entire personality is based on leadership and leadership skills. We have this thing called Leadership Development, and they have an event every year called the Leadership Development Showcase. They bring in the different clubs at school or the programs accessible to my neighborhood and talk to the students. That’s when KARS came to my school to give a presentation.
Where do you want to go to college? What's your plan?
I mean, the most ideal plan is obviously to go to a four-year university. But I would be okay with going to any UC because I feel like my parents’ — especially my dad's — dream is for me to go to college. My dad's always said, ‘Accomplish all you want, but just do something for me and graduate from college.’
I'd be okay with any college. When it comes to community college, I personally don't mind. It saves you money and is a very smart thing to do. But I feel like my dad would view it as if I only ended up in community college. My goal is [to avoid] that and earn scholarships so that my dad doesn't have that little thought that I failed.
Yeah, there is a stigma around it ultimately. But you know what? Community college is always a great option. Remember to do what you want, though, and that your mental health is the priority.
That is very true. I'm barely a junior, and my mental health is so messed up because of my grades.
Do you think grades define you?
Yes. I am so much into academic validation. It's not really bad because it has helped me in so many ways. I wouldn't be as good at school as I am if it weren't for that, but it has negatively affected me.
Do you think that was throughout your whole life? Or did it start in middle school or high school?
It's been since elementary school. From a young age, compared to how I see my little cousins and friends, I think I was very smart in elementary school. Seeing my parents so happy because of how smart I was, I guess my dopamine exploded every time they told me [how great it was that I got good grades]. I just felt so much validation when they would say that. Plus, every time I got an award, they would take me out to eat. As a food lover, I thought that if I got good grades, I would get [delicious] food. It's something that's been going on since elementary school.
What do you know about opioids and stimulants?
I'm very uneducated when it comes to opioids and stimulants. I mean, it’s so out there now in the world, but I am very behind on the stuff going on with stimulants. I know it makes you active and feel confident. But if you asked me to name five stimulants, I could probably only tell you the most popular ones, and I still wouldn't really know much about them. That's something I want to work on for sure.
Do you have any plans to learn more about stimulants?
Well, one of my plans was obviously joining KARS. They told us during the presentation that we didn’t need to be educated on that subject since they were going to teach us. That was one of my plans: doing my own research and, honestly, using social media at times. Ever since joining KARS, I've been getting a lot of stimulant and opioid facts on my feed. I guess it’s because the algorithm knows I'm here or something.
What does your social media feed look like?
Oh my gosh, my social media feed has so many travel posts. It's all traveling or people falling. There are also a lot of makeup influencers because I can't do my makeup. I would love to be a makeup artist, but it's just not in me, so I enjoy watching other people do their makeup. It’s so relaxing for me.
What is your dream place to travel?
My dream place was Greece, but since I've been there, the next place is either Italy or Fiji. I love the Disney movie “Luca.” I loved it when that movie came out. I had it on repeat, like my older sister was tired of me watching it. That kind of triggered the Italy dream. And then Fiji — I love [the ocean] and swimming. It brings me so much peace. Fiji has such pretty water, so that would be a lot of fun.
Speaking of water, do you swim in the contaminated Santa Monica water? [Laughs]
Honestly, I love water so much that even with all the news and the contamination, I never mind going in the water. It makes me happy. I love swimming that much — okay, maybe if it was really, really, really contaminated, then no. I'm not trying to die from the ocean water if I can avoid it.
What are the impacts of drug use in your community or school environments?
There are so many impacts of [drug use]. There have been so many overdoses at my school. Thank God none of them ended in death, but there were like five overdoses last semester in my school. It’s really crazy because in freshman year, I don't remember there being such an issue with drugs. It was more just vapes. But during my sophomore year, we had like five overdoses per semester. When I would see the staff running around the school, it wouldn't even faze me. I was just like, Oh, someone overdosed. It was becoming such a current thing that it wasn't fazing me anymore.
Do you think you know enough about how to reverse an opioid overdose?
I don't think I do. Again, one of the most helpful tools for an overdose is Narcan, and I've never had any [lessons] on how to use it. I've seen YouTube videos on how to use it because you never know. But I should take advantage of the [wellness center] at school and learn how to use it because they do offer classes. That'd be something I should do to better my education on opioids and stimulants.
End Overdose on YouTube is also a good [channel to learn about Narcan]. They have videos and will actually send free Narcan and fentanyl test strips to your house. So if you ever feel like that's what you want to do, it’s helpful. Not just in your school, but how do drugs impact your community?
When people refer to my community, I think of my neighborhood because I don't go out much. In my community, you don't hear about people being addicted to opioids or stimulants. I feel like [drugs] are more underground in my community. It's just not something I hear about. I’ve just heard about friends who are vaping, but I've never actually heard about people using drugs in my community like that.
Do you know any peers who are using substances?
Yes, I do. My cousin — my favorite cousin — is very addicted to nicotine. It's so bad. Obviously, nicotine is something I know more about. I know it's bad for your lungs, the long-term effects of lung cancer, and stuff like that. It makes me so sad because he's a year younger than me, so it makes me feel down that someone so young has access to vapes.
Have you ever thought about talking to your cousin and getting him into the program?
I have talked to him. Well, I speak to him every day because, again, we live so close to each other. He doesn't say that it's an addiction. He says, ‘Oh, I just like vaping and it's something that relaxes me.’ I'm not going to tell him that he needs help until he admits it to himself. I'm not going to argue with him [about quitting] if he's enjoying it that much. I can't really argue with someone who won't listen to or see my perspective.
Yes, most people don't quit [using substances] until they feel they are ready, and it's hard to get them to that point. It's good not to shove pressure down anyone’s throat. Have you ever talked to your cousin about the side effects of using nicotine?
Yes, actually, two days ago I saw a TikTok of this girl whose lung ruptured from an excessive amount of vaping, and I sent it to him and kind of made it more of a joke so he wouldn’t take it the wrong way. I was like, “Maybe it's a sign. She was abusing it, just like you.” She was young, so he couldn’t use the excuse that they were older. He was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just saw that video,’ and he just laughed at it. He didn't take it seriously. There's not much I can do if he's not going to see my side at all.
Do you think it's important for [people with a substance use disorder] to see the other person’s point of view?
There has to be some point where they realize they're struggling. Once [my cousin] starts feeling it physically, maybe that's when he might see my perspective. Obviously, I don't know what it’s like, so I feel like it’s very judgmental or hypocritical of me to try to put myself in their shoes. I want to approach my cousin without pressuring him. I’ll still be there for him if he ever feels like he needs someone to talk to about it.
Just out of the blue, but how are you? How are you actually?
I'm okay. It's the start of the school year, so I feel motivated. It kind of frightens me that I already feel drained.
What classes are you taking?
I'm taking leadership — the [Associated Student Body] class. I'm taking AP U.S. History, AP [English Language and Composition], and art. I was taking environmental science, but I recently got removed from that class because I wanted to take leadership, so they had to put me in a college course.
What's your favorite class to take?
I love precalculus. Again, it has to do with my validation. It's so rewarding when I'm able to [solve] a math problem. It makes me feel good about myself and like I'm actually good at something.
That’s good, even though you don’t need validation to feel good about yourself because that comes from inside. Are you ready for the school year?
I feel like I am. I don't want to go back to it, but I get so much happiness from doing well in school. During the summer, I don't feel the same joy that I do when I'm in school, having something to do, turning in stuff, and then receiving feedback on it. I am ready to get back in that same mindset.
There's this Girl in Red song called “Summer Depression,” and I'm wondering if that's how you feel.
I've never heard of that song, but if I listen to it, maybe I'll say yes.
Do you have any thoughts that you want to leave us with?
I want to say I hope that in a few months or even weeks, I can say that I learned something new about substance misuse. There are so many people — I only talked about one — but there are more people in my family who [use] substances, so I just hope that at some point I can learn more information to be the support that my family members need.