Providing you with support, advice and gossip are what friends are for. They are important because they will always be there for your wedding, baby shower(s), and other aspects of your life when family sometimes cannot. Where to find them can be tricky because in some cases it can occur spontaneously or it can be unexpected and happen in a span of a train ride home. Regardless where it happens or how do not let them go because they can become another addition to you family as it happened with Amy Mota.

Freshman year was like walking into a new world not knowing anyone. Making friends would be something easy for me but staying friends was harder. Jennifer and Katie were familiar faces because we use to go to the same elementary school so we became friends. Catching up with them I sat decided to sit with them during lunchtime—everyday. Months passed and slowly the bond of knowing each other became the only similarities between us. That was when I began to drift from them while at the same time around mid-May I met Amy Mota. We both attended writing after school and she was completely different that I did not expect to become friends with her and on top of that, her group of friends were obnoxious thinking they were superior to everyone else.

Everyone in writing after school was working on an English paper due the following day and needed Mr. Nourok’s help. To make sure he was able to conference with everyone he created a list with my name being second to last. Both Amy and I had to stay past writing after school in his bright yellow and green classroom until he met with us. Suddenly Amy began to talk with me as we helped organize the chairs and tables in the classroom when she stopped when I responded to her question “I live on 183rd street in the Bronx.

“183rd in the Bronx on the 4 train? That is where I live”, she responded. We were both shocked, even Mr. Nourok stopped amazed that we both came from the same neighborhood and have not once talked to each other. Amy and I both laughed at this coincidence. After Mr. Nourok checked our papers we decided to take the train together, who would have known that an hour and a half train ride would become three hours and would be the beginning of a new and special friendship.

As we walked in the rain without umbrellas we ran to catch the train that had just approached 23rd Street-Lexington station. Exhausted from our sprint we sat down and decided to take the 6 train to 125th street instead of transferring at Grand Central. Almost like an interview we learned each other’s ethnicity, a number of siblings, birthdays and other basic things. Ultimately this interview became a conversation amongst friends as we both opened up to each other and had the heart to hear learning about one another’s secrets (that I have not told any of my friends). It felt like she and I knew each other for a long time. We got off 125th Street waiting for the 4 train that was arriving in five minutes but our conversation got very interesting neither one of us wanted to get on that next train. After the sixth 4 train, I stopped counting but many came and went and people came and went. Our conversation could have kept going however once we looked at the time we both freaked and got on the next train to rush home.

After that summer when school started again we sat at lunchtime with each other and as the years progress, we grew closer to one another. By senior year, she was inducted into the Almaraz family when my father yelled at her and treated her as one of his daughters, as I was accepted into her family. Amy and I were inseparable. We were each other’s alarm clock meeting each other at my train station (by sophomore year I had moved to 167) to get to school on time. She and I joined the same clubs, she attended all my soccer games, played side by side in softball and working together at the Rubin Museum of Art.

Despite the fact that we are attending different colleges, we still manage to stay connected. Recently, in September, she met with me at John Jay and spent the entire day hanging out. She stopped by at my house to see my family again and we went to the mall when we decided to sit and chat. Having such a strong friendship that when at Starbucks asked if related and we both replied, “we are cousins”.

Amy is a special friend who is irreplaceable, we may have some bumps here and there and there might be some distance between us but we still manage to stay connected. We are both there for each other when we encounter issues, to laugh together, and sometimes even cry together. Everyone needs at least a friend who is special in their lives, and to find one can be tricky because they can appear unexpectedly. Train rides are one of them.

Life is all about pursuing dreams, taking risks and every opportunity that comes along your path. My father believes that this those who have realistic dreams will achieve them and those that dream big or do not have dreams (no aspiration to success such as getting a job or starting a family) are dead in life. Sometimes I questioned whether having too many dreams meant I was dead in life. To reassure myself I am not dead in life was the belief that I had many years ahead to have the chance to try a bit of everything that I want to do. That is when I decided to enroll in beauty school in Mexico. Cutting and dying and styling hair, doing nails, and applying make-up were what I planned on learning that is until I met Liz.

The first few days of beauty school I would notice this one girl, in particular, her name was Liz. It could have been that she looked ten years old very small and thin, or because for some unexplained reason I distrusted her. Every day since the day that I started attending Liz had a routine: arriving late, sitting next to the teacher—teacher’s pet, not doing much but gossip, and criticize everyone else’s work. That was what I abhorred the most as she would walk at an  incredibly slow pace around the room watching and critiquing our every move as if she found pleasure in making others feel less. Who did she think she was and most importantly why does the teacher not call a halt to it?

Days and weeks passed getting accustomed to Liz’s ways. August 15 is the day that my relationship with Liz would change. My teacher decided as a way to encourage us to put more effort into our work to form two groups making us all compete with one another. As we all drew papers from a hat, I maintained my fingers crossed to not be in a group with Liz. Those with even numbers would be group one and odd numbers would be group two. Just my luck Liz and I both had even numbers. The instructions were to bring in a model (someone we can work on) to do a makeover on. Not so thrilled to be in the same group, we all just began working on a girl and what happened next was something I did not expect to happen. Liz and I began a conversion as we worked on designing the model’s nails. It was almost as if my heart stopped when she said: “yo, tengo dieciocho años” (I am eighteen years old). Since that day we became friends.

The before my flight back to New York as I was packing my luggage, I heard my mother yell that there was someone at the door and it was Liz. Shocked I invited her in and we sat outside next to the mango tree and she handed me a gift. It was a handmade key chain that she sells and an image of Jesus. She talked to me about why she enrolled into beauty school and why she sells all those things. When she informed me that she, just like Sonia Sotomayor, had diabetes I felt sympathy towards her and understood why she did not work as much as the other girls in beauty school. With a shaky voice and teary eyes, she said that at the age of fifteen she had fallen into a coma more than once missing her favorite soccer team’s winning the championship and not being able to be by her father’s side at the hospital. Despite this health issue that she has Liz is motivated and passionate to accomplish her one dream of opening her own beauty salon.

Liz, for only a short amount of time, has made a long lasting positive impact in my life. I learned that time is not always going to be on my side and that I should not waste it by trying things just to see if “I like it or not”. Still unsure and undecided of what my realistic dream is I want to have Liz’s passion and ambition achieve despite the obstacles will come along.

Obtaining and rightfully using 

power to change individuals live is unbelievable. Smiles on faces are the sight of accomplishment and the feeling is indescribable. Not only are you impacting one’s life but they also leave an impact in your life as well. A part of different generations coexisting in a room is an experience that I would never forget. The Glamour Gals foundation (GG) provides materials to the chapters all over the United States to visit a senior citizen home and give the makeovers. At Baruch High School we decided to start a chapter.

Back in the school year of 2012-2013, I was a member of Glamour Gals excited to attend the events because of the makeovers. However, makeovers are not the importance of GG events it is the interactions that one has with the elderly and seeing how they are enjoying your presence. When the year came to an end so did GG, which saddens me. The advisor of GG contacted me during the summer and offered me the position along with my friend, Imani to be co-presidents. Excited and thrilled to be able to get an early start at GG we both accepted. Little did I know that the primary method of communication was via phone that I despised and to this day still do. Emails and phone calls to senior homes were done and many did not agree with “children” doing makeovers on the elderly. All except Visions who were amazed at what we wanted to do and accepted GG planning events for the elderly.

Trying to juggle sports, a job, and college applications I was ready to give in. Imani talked me into attending the first event and meeting Sharon. Doing Sharon’s nails was the only ones I did because we talked for the remaining of the hour. She told me stories of when she was my age like hanging out with her friends and boyfriend at the beach or at parties. Sharon gave me advice of staying in school and focusing on my studies and towards the end, she thanked me for a conversation with a smile that she had on her face from the very beginning. Visions center was filled with smiles and laughter coming from both the senior citizens and the students reminding me why GG was important. Deciding to stay Imani and I made possible to schedule events twice a month to build stronger connections with the senior citizens.

Glamour Gals made me realize that I want to continue on making an impact in others lives and it gave me ideas for my future. My experience allowed me to go beyond my comfort zone and pushed me to try and make a change for my community. Glamour Gals is an amazing foundation that I still want to be a part of and help them spread the word to encourage others to participate and start a chapter in their schools or institutions. The thought of seeing many smiles and being able to unify individuals from two different generations is a goal that I have and believe it is possible.