Family is the one thing on this earth that I will never take for granted and will always be grateful for. Some people may think that family isn’t the most important thing in teenagers life, while on the other hand I arguably disagree with that.

From my perspective, family is the most important thing to me. As teenagers who go through a variety of challenges mentally, emotionally, and physically, we fear reaching out to receive support and help when we need it the most. Personally, reaching out and sharing with a family member is a safe way for me to feel safe communicating about issues that I have going on with relationships, school, extra curricular activities, and maybe even at home. Because as young adults, we are figuring out who we are.  We sometimes tend to push people away and lose several friendships and relationships throughout the year which makes it difficult to actually connect and share our feelings with new people.

From my personal experiences, I have found that my family, specifically my sisters and cousins have been the majority of my support system. Luckily, I come from a large family which has made us very united and supportive of each other. Every special day or occasion, we celebrate together as if it were our own. My family gets together almost every Sunday, if not at least once or twice a week, so most of my time is spent around my loved ones. Making carne asadas, playing volleyball at the lake, regular get togethers, or even just a, “Come over for a drink” has become a part of our everyday lives which we truly enjoy.

Perhaps it’s just cultural preference and is just a big aspect for our lives as Paisanos, but regardless, we love to embrace it and make the most of it. For years my family has been my motivation and guidance, so I eternally appreciate them and consider family my biggest value and the most important thing in my life.