Growing up as the youngest in a large family comes with a unique set of challenges. With sisters more than a decade older than me, I often found myself in the background, left to entertain myself while they lived their teenage lives. My parents were loving, but busy, and my sisters naturally had different priorities. So, I turned to the one thing that never ignored me—art. Whether I was painting, drawing, or even sketching with sticks in the dirt, creating gave me a voice when no one else was listening. As I got older, that voice evolved into writing, especially poetry, a form of expression that allowed me to process emotions I didn’t yet know how to say out loud.
In high school, poetry became more than just a hobby—it became therapy. It was a way to understand my experiences, to cope with the feeling of being overlooked, and to build a connection with myself. When I joined the REDI Lab, it only felt natural to continue
using poetry to tell stories—not just mine, but the deeper, often hidden stories in my family. Yet, when I sat down to write, I faced the worst writer’s block of my life. I felt pressure to be profound, to say something meaningful. But what helped break through that wall
was simply letting go—writing whatever came to mind. I wrote and wrote, producing over 20 pages, which eventually became eight completed poems and a collection of powerful drafts.
Through this project, I realized something deeper: writing is more than self-expression—it’s a tool for healing. I began to see that if I want to help my niece, the new “youngest” in our family, I need to break the cycles I’ve inherited. I need to confront the silence, the pressure, and the emotional weight passed down through generations. Admitting that trauma exists in our family is the first step. And through poetry, I’m starting that conversation. Thank you to my parents—Mami, Papi, gracias—for giving me the strength, even if unknowingly, to speak out.
This is just the beginning of my journey, but it’s one I take proudly—with a pen in my hand and hope in my heart.
