HI ALL! My name is Julissa, I am 19 years old and I attend the University of La Verne. I am a sophomore majoring in Political Science and History. I was born in Garden Grove, CA and I now live at home with my parents, sister, brother and my cat Peter Parker in Chino, CA, where I have been living ever since I was 5 years old.
If my friends or family were to describe me, they would say that I am a passionate, kind, empathetic, person who is always willing to help others; for some reason they always seem to forget that I am also funny. After moving from San Bernardino to Chino my parents were pretty much clueless as to what to get my sister and I involved in, considering we were pretty active little girls. It was not until I was 8 years old that I found myself doing something I really enjoyed, musical theater. My third grade teacher, who was also a director at the local community theater, had told my classmates and I about a musical she was holding auditions for, that day when I got home I told my parents about the audition and that weekend they took my sister and I for the audition. We landed roles and from there I did one more show at the community theater and two more at my junior high. After junior high I wasn’t doing much theater, instead my interest shifted to dance, although I had been dancing since I was little, yet instead of doing the usual contemporary dance my mom had convinced me to try Folklorico, which is Mexican folk dance. At first I was not too into it but once I got my skirt I fell completely in love with genre and I was proud to represent my culture. Other than dance and theater, I also did choir although I am a horrible singer, but I just love music so much! I sang in the choir at my church for a couple months and then my freshman year of college I joined the University’s choir. I wasn’t too much into sports although I did play tennis in high school, and I tried out for the soccer team, yet my dad made me choose between dance or soccer and of course I choose dance, but I live for watching soccer. Other than being involved in the arts and doing some sports, I am also very involved in my community. My passion is helping others and I always try to make time in my already busy schedule to give back.
Some of my hobbies include spending time with my family, friends and my cat Peter (fun fact: we were originally told it was a boy so my brother and I named it after Spider-Man, but we later found out it was actually a girl and she was already responding to the name so we let her be), going walking or hiking, and going out to try new places to eat. I really value the time I spend with my friends especially now that we are all “adulting” and trying to figure out our lives. Like most people my family is my everything, they are the people who motivate me to be a better person and give me soo much love when I really need it, and they have been right by my side through everything life has thrown at me. I am the most calm person when in nature, I love taking long walks at the park at and by creek and I also like taking hikes, I’ve made it a thing to go hiking with my friend Mayra every Friday morning, which has so far being going good. Trying new food has to be my favorite hobby! I am always looking for new spots in my area to try out.
Once I am done with my education, I plan on being a politician. I want to first begin in the local level and then work my way up into the federal/national level. If you ask my friends and family how passionate I am about politics on a scale from 1-10, they would most likely say 10–once I start taking about politics, and history, you will not be able to shut me up. The person who inspired me to want a career in the political arena was my eight grade history teacher, he was so passionate about our country and our history, that it just made me want to be that person to evoke those same passions into the American people. I believe I speak for everyone when I say that at the moment our country could being doing so much better in all aspects and I hope that when it is my turn to be the voice for those who feel that they do not have one that I can truly represent them.