This girl is the one that is going to defeat all stereotypes *literally*! Punching her way through life and strutting her way directly to Nursing School, what doesn’t she do? Meet this week’s Campus Celebrity, one of our own, Nahir Robles!
Name: Nahir Irene Carolina Robles Rijo
Major: Chemistry, but on my way to Nursing School
Classification: 5th year, I’m getting old
Relationship Status: Enamora’
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Hobbies: Write, Hang-out with my friends, & do sports.
HCUPR: Tell us about yourself:
Nahir: The most common word to describe myself is contradiction. I can tell you the following: my parents are indecisive human beings, like seriously, who gives you three names? I’m the kind of girl who will ALWAYS be referred to as one of the guys, but enjoys girly stuff. The kind of girl who fights back. A sucker for furry creatures. A tomboy at heart. I’m definitely a mess in a dress. But most importantly, I’m that character in a story you love to hate.
HCUPR: Nahir, where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Nahir: I see myself working as a nurse in the pediatric oncology field. Kids have always been my drive. Hopefully, by this time, I’ll have published a children’s book.
HCUPR: That’s great! Tell us, what is your biggest achievement so far?
Nahir: I’ve had many, not to sound arrogant or anything… but there’s one that always pops in my head. In 2014 I was chosen to represent Puerto Rico in a plus size pageant. The pageant’s name was Miss Plus USA. It was a tremendous experience. Even though I’m never what you consider plus size, to the modeling industry I will always be a plus model. I traveled to Seattle, battling all the odds. I didn’t have the money for the hotel; I bought the tickets 8 hours before getting on that flight. But it was all freaking worth it. I remember when the pilot said: “Ladies and gentleman we have Miss Puerto Rico on our trip today.” It was definitely a different feeling. My friends came to the rescue and helped me out with the expenses, I couldn’t believe it. During that week I met the most amazing human beings, I miss them so much. I even made top ten in the pageant, which was insane. I was just used to have academic prizes, so this was pretty rad.
HCUPR: Nahir, can you tell us about something not many people know about you?
Nahir: I think many people are sort of amazed of the many things that I do. I’m an all-around person. I model with plus sized puertorican females, I also box, I write, and I used to do spelling bees. They think it doesn’t makes sense, but it does to me. Boxing was something I always wanted to do, but never was given the opportunity to. I enjoy sports, I used to be the captain of my old school’s soccer team. The spelling bee thing is pretty embarrassing, but I can still sing to you the anthem “Word by Word”.
HCUPR: Who is your role model and why?
Nahir: My grandmother. She was my rock. I can say that I am who I am thanks to her. She always told me to never give up. Also, she’d tell me to keep my mouth shut, but she’d never apply it to herself. My grandmother is the reason why I want to work in the oncology field. She was a 2 time cancer survivor. And she was badass. She’d always give you the best comebacks, even in her lowest times. I want to have that strength. I miss her a lot.
HCUPR: What’s your idea of a perfect date?
Nahir: I never really had an ideal date. As long as there’s food, a good conversation and chemistry, you’ll do fine.
HCUPR: We know you are graduating soon, how has your experience in la IUPI been so far?
Nahir: It has definitely been a wild ride. La IUPI gave me both my best and worst years in my life. I gained and lost it all in the amount of two years. I learned to be grateful. I met both wonderful and unpleasant people. But there are great memories, too. The times I used to stay in the Naturales rooftop, being an Estudiante Orientadora, even living alone for a year and a half. I even got to take class with Mayra Santos, something I always wanted to do before entering la IUPI, since in the forensics team my essay was written by her.
HCUPR: Nahir, when did you join Her Campus UPR?
Nahir: Let’s just put it this way, I feel like the old cranky worker that you always see and think: “damn, she’s been here too long.” Yep, I’m that contributor. I joined in September 2013, when the lady boss was the founder of Her Campus UPR.
HCUPR: What motivated you to join Her Campus UPR?
Nahir: I have always been a writer. A sarcastic, cynical one, but a writer nonetheless. I remember my English teacher in high school always told me to not lose that peculiar talent of mine. So, I joined, because this was a space where I could write, and people could feel identified with what I said. And so far so good. I like to show here that you don’t have to be perfection to be considered a “cutie”. I see the beauty in imperfections, in a noble act, in a genuine person. I think that’s what Her Campus UPR is all about, to tell a story from your perspective.
HCUPR: How has been your experience so far in Her Campus UPR?
Nahir: It’s been very interesting. I’m that writer who writes the things no one dares to say. I can go from the most serious subjects, to the most bizarre. From writing about Sexual Assault, to giving you ideas to have the tackiest Valentine’s Day ever; it’s been quite fun. Also, I can proudly say I’ve interviewed too many cuties for my own good. Her Campus UPR has been like a sorority, only without the hazing. So it’s pretty awesome getting to say that I’ve made it 2 years and counting.
HCUPR: Favorite article?
Nahir: That’s a tough one. But I think I’m gonna go with two again: “6 Easy Steps to the Tackiest Valentine’s Day Ever” and “The Sequel: A Collegiette’s Classification of UPR Women” . The first one shows my true humor, and I enjoy breaking stereotypes so I enjoyed making fun of valentine’s day with a twist. The second article I chose was because we were afraid to ever throw a sequel about it. But it would be hypocritical to write about men and not women. It was a generalization, and it was pretty hilarious the reactions it got.
HCUPR: As the oldest member of Her Campus UPR; do you have any tips you would give to our new members?
Nahir: Her Campus will open you to new horizons, trust me. You’ll meet amazing people. Don’t forget to be open to ideas, be charismatic. Write about things that come from the heart to you. Be your true self, and don’t you dare to change because life gets tough.