Kayla Flores

I am From Poem

I am from coffee mugs

From chocolate abuelita and coronado cajeta

I am from the small

cozy, free, a rooster’s crow

I am from nopales

prickly and green

I'm from loteria nights and loud voices

From Alejandro and Marcela

I’m from the overdoing things and always running late

From enjoy your childhood and appreciate what you have

I’m from rosaries, hanging from the rearview mirror of all of our cars

I'm from San Jose and Jalisco

Enchiladas, chilaquiles

From the time my mom was a terrible cook but has much improved

The time I thought my aunt’s attic was haunted by Michael Jackson

In the drawers of the our television stand

Keepsakes that unlock memories when we see them

Sometimes you need to experience to realize

I spent a lot of time wondering what career path I was going to take and never thought it would just come to me. Most of my life I said I wanted to be a lawyer or go into the criminal justice system. The medical field never really crossed my mind. I did not think I was cut out for that. Then my junior year of high school came around and my counselor convinced me to take Sports Medicine as one of my electives. That ended up being one of my favorite classes I have ever taken. In that class is when I decided I wanted to become a nurse. The class also helped me know that hands-on learning is the best way I learn. Not only did the class lead me to make my future career decision, but so did my visits to a couple of my family members in the hospital in the next year. These experiences made me realize I want to help people get through their hospital visits because I know they can be tough. I have a lot of children in my family, and I worked at a Daycare the summer before my senior year, which allowed me to learn patience with kids. I would love to be a nurse in a children's hospital someday.