Introduction and Self Portrait

Hey there! I'm Simon Hernandez!  I am twenty years old and a student at University of North Carolina School of the Arts, studying contemporary dance. I am an immigrant. My family is not from here.

My family and I immigrated from Caracas, Venezuela to the United States when I was six years old and we have lived here ever since.  It was a challenge at first, moving to a new country and having to learn a new language and a new culture, but being six years old, I was still impressionable and it didn't take me too long to adapt to American culture.   My mother however, was worried that I would forget our culture and our language so I speak only Spanish at home.  I have two older sisters, one two years older than me and the other four years older than me. I also have a niece whom I love dearly and she is adorable. She will be turning three this coming October.

Here's a photo of Caracas. I was born and raised here til the age of six. I still miss it sometimes..

My mother works as a lab animal technician at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and since she was busy working a lot of the time while I was growing up, I sometimes got into trouble, but at the end of the day, my mom was there when it mattered and so were my sisters. I didnt really grow up in a multicultural area.  When we first came to the U.S., my mother, sisters and I lived in a three bedroom apartment in Chapel Hill with my grandmother, my aunt and my cousin. My mom worked a lot of the time.

I've always been very artistic and I wanted to be a visual artist from the time I was five up until I was seventeen years old.  At seventeen I discovered dance and I have been dancing ever since.



The main problems I have noticed for young people in this country, in my experience at least,  are drugs and alcohol. I started hearing about my peers being involved with these when I was around twelve years old.  The media is constant in the lies of people today. It is all but inescapable. Young people not only use it recreationally but they have to use it for various things in school, from tests and quizzes to online homework. Life has somewhat lost its simplicity.

I've never been involved with growing food, but I had a small garden for herbs and such when I was younger. It wasn't much, but it gave me something to keep me busy. I would be willing to give growing food a shot. It sounds interesting.  I have a few words of advice to young people who are new in the U.S.  Try listening to your parents and never forget your culture or where you came from. Dont lose yourself for the sake of being American. America is a melting pot, so add your own unique flavor to the mix.




Everyone has some of the land they came from as well as the land their ancestors came from. you just have to see it.

SEE?