About me Jessica

Me, Jessica is the oldest daughter and child of my parents Ken (dad) and Mia (mom). Since I am the oldest child, I usually am the one in charge of most of the chores at home. Some chores that I do are cooking the rice or sometimes preparing and toasting up some breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A few other chores are sweeping the floor, wiping the furniture, and folding and storing the laundry. I have a little sister Michelle who (in my opinion) is the cutest sibling ever but sometimes can be the most annoying too. My parents are both working and have one job each. My mom works as a cook and cashier at Blazin Steaks in Wailuku while my dad is employed at Grand Wailea at the Four Seasons Resort. I have a really big family. I live with nine of my family members under one roof which makes us ten in total. I live with my mom, dad, little sister, grandma, uncle Mario, Mama Sita, Mama Josie, ate (cousin) Sheena, and kuya (cousin) Mark Patrick. I am the second youngest in my household. We are all filipinos so we all live the filipino style. I believe that my family is a true filipino family. We cook, eat, drink, listen to music, and watch shows or “teleseryes” all the same filipino way (which includes me). For example, when my auntie Josie and Mama Sita have day offs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays, they would always play classic Ilocano songs and cook delicious Filipino dishes such as pancit (noodle stir fry), adobo (chicken or pork), miki (hot soup with carrot, noodles, and small eggs), and/or arrozcaldo (rice soup with chicken). Those four I mentioned are literally my favorites. Me and my mom also share a love for the noon time show Eat Bulaga because it features the phenomenon love team: Maine Mendoza and Alden Richards also known as Aldub.  I am known as the Christmas baby in my family because I was born on Christmas and the bagtit (which means crazy in English). My other nicknames at home despite Jessica are Jess, Jessica Mae, or Icah.

At school, I am known to be one of the smartest and know it alls (but in a good way) in class. Last school year in the sixth grade, I got a 4.0 grade point average every quarter and of course as my final GPA. Some of my friends tease me because I’m always trying so hard to get As on every assignment. It doesn’t bother me at all though because I believe that is who I am and I usually always laugh along with them anyways. I always try hard to study for tests and to listen to my teachers at all costs in order to get my assignments done correctly. I also try to submit all of my work completed and on time in an efficient way. In class, I am mostly quiet and I try to volunteer and answer questions as much and as little as I can but once I am on the field talking to my friends, I just want to have fun. I try not to push or stress myself too far with finishing my work during one day or night but I’m pretty good at managing my time and prioritizing my studies since I am pretty organized with my school work. My goal each school year is to of course learn new lessons from each of my teachers and also from my learning environments (such as the classrooms and my classmates) but at the same time, I want to evolve into a better student and a better person/human being.

In the community, I am known to be a couple things. Of course I am known to be a girl or maybe even a stranger but I am known to be an altar server in my church community. I would say I am very involved in my church. Me and my family had always attended masses at Christ the King Church Maui ever since I migrated here on Maui from the Philippines. I made my first confession, confirmation, communion, and investment as an altar server at Christ the King. I also go to religious education classes there every Wednesday nights during the school year and I have been a part of the youth ministry choir for a couple months.  I love to say that I am proud to be baptized as a Catholic. When I became an altar server in the fall of 2014, I felt very happy and blessed. Even though it took a month or two of training, I knew becoming an altar server was and still is a privilege and a blessing from God. It always feels so amazing to be up on the altar every other Sunday because I always feel so much closer to God and the gospel. I get to carry the body and blood of Christ and I try my best to be as soft as I can be because those elements are very sacred and important. One of the best things on becoming an altar server is that I can be a good role model to younger kids and maybe to some adults to turn towards God because he will be your companion and will always love you and be by your side through every good or bad situation in your life. I have also met amazing friends and people (young and old) that are too involved at Christ the King church who have great personalities and hearts. My cousin is also an altar server. The altar serving ministry had brought me and her closer together and gave us the opportunity to spend more quality time together. I had attended so many fun events with everyone in the ministry such as dinners and CTK’s annual bazaar (when we sold drinks at a booth). I just feel so honored to be known as an altar server in my church community.

What I enjoy doing is watching the NBA. I am so excited for the 2016-2017 season to finally start. My favorite team right now is of course the Golden State Warriors and my favorite player is one of their stars, Stephen Curry. I also love their head coach, Steve Kerr. The Warriors, Steve Kerr, and Stephen Curry are my favorites currently in the league because they give a good example of amazing teamwork and sweet brotherhoods through their ups and downs. Even though they fell so short towards getting their second straight championship title against the Cleveland Cavaliers this year and though people are saying they choke, they are still amazing people. Stephen Curry is a very good example. He is a good example because he accepts when he loses and is always trying to improve on his game. He is the two time and the first unanimous MVP in the league so that says something. He helped lead his team to breaking the 92-10 game winning record done by the 1996 Chicago Bulls. He lastly is an amazing son, brother, husband, father, friend, and more. He has a big heart towards others and God. He is a very humble human being that doesn’t take all the credit for his accomplishments. Even though he has a smaller salary compared to other famous basketball players like Lebron James, he still puts in the hard work and determination to playing the sport he loves, basketball. He knows what reality is and that’s why he is my favorite. Golden State has also had recently added one time MVP Kevin Durant to the roster which makes Golden State a huge powerhouse with Draymond Green, Kevin Durant and of course splash brothers Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry all in one. Many people are saying that they are now the new villains of the NBA, especially Kevin Durant. It is going to be so exciting to watch them play this year and for many years to come.

What I want to learn more about is dermatology. I watch this popular Youtube channel (with close to two million subscribers) called Dr. Pimple Popper or also known as Dr. Sandra Lee. She inspires me to become a dermatologist because of the way she demonstrates some surgical procedures. I love to watch her take out whiteheads, blackheads, different kinds of cysts, and lipomas on any part of the body. She uses some methods like a punch biopsy or an incision. Whiteheads are like rice underneath the skin. Blackheads (also called dilated pore of winers) are like whiteheads that had surfaced through the skin and turns to the color black due to the exposure to oxygen. Cysts are like big whiteheads that have a thin sack that are larger and are formed when skin gets trapped underneath other skins. There are many types of cysts. One type of cyst are pilar cysts which occasionally form on the head. Lipomas are like big fatty blobs and look so gross and disgusting. They are wiggly and come out warm but once they’re out, they easily become/feel cold. Most of these stuff I don’t really get grossed out by watching even though some people do. You can get all of these “unusual growths” even with a clean hygiene. As you can tell, I know quite much about dermatology and I think of my self as a popaholic.

What I’m planning to do in the immediate future are to get amazing grades in seventh and eight grade, move on to high school, and to get more involved in school and community activities.  To start, of course I want to get good grades in my last two years in middle school. I want to get As and Bs’ are good also. I will get those grades by listening to my teachers’ instructions, working on my school work, submitting completed/well done work, and studying hard for tests. I want to learn as much as I can and it will correspond to my second goal. My second goal is to move on to high school. I am determined to work hard and get to freshman year all the way towards graduation day when I am a senior in the year 2022. I will try my very best to get into as much honors classes and graduate as a valedictorian. My final goal is to get more involved my school and community activities. I could achieve that goal by maybe running for student government again or by joining the STEM (media) club here at Maui Waena. I will try my best to make room for at least one extra corporation or curriculum these next two years.

I have so many long term goals. My top three main ambitions for the future are to graduate college with a degree in dermatology, give back to the people that brought me up, and lastly, to have my own family. After I graduate high school, I want to attend a college on the mainland and graduate four years later in 2026 with a degree hopefully in dermatology (I will determine sooner or later what career I will chose to pursue). Being able to get a degree from college will help me find my dream job. The money and success that I get from my future career will allow me to spoil the ohana that took care and brought me up into a beautiful woman. My parents and everyone else have always wanted to have our very own family home so I will attempt to buy a house (if we haven’t bought one yet) that will be my family’s permanently. I would want to give back to the community and the environment I grew up in by donating food and money or a fundraiser that supports a great cause on this island of Maui. I would also want to give back to my family and the people who took care of me when I was little in the Philippines. It feels so good when we share our aloha back to those who took care of us which gives us the chance to fill others’ “buckets.” Finally, I would want to start a family of my own from fifteen to twenty years from now. I would want to seek and find my future husband who has the qualities that I find in a true man. I want someone who I can trust with my life, who makes me feel beautiful, comforted, who is kind, who has a big heart, who is humble, caring, loving, supporting, can be a good father, have a college degree, have a great career, a man who follows the Lord our God, and much more. I want to have at least three children when I’m older and provide a roof and open, comforting arms to them. I want to be a great example to them to who they shall become. I would love my life twenty years from now to be full of spirit, affection, dignity, grace, and peace.