About Me
In this world we are responsible for creating our own stories and making something out of ourselves. My parents had their story starting in Mexico, then Lindsay, then Las Vegas. My story begins in Las Vegas on May 31st, 1998. Two years after giving birth to my older sister, Jeanette, my mom, Irayda, gave birth to me with the support of my dad, Jose. When I was only eight months old, my parents decided to move back to Lindsay. About two years later, my younger brother Ernesto was born. Growing up as the middle child was not the easiest thing for me. I always felt left out and as if I was never getting attention from my parents. To me it seemed like my sister would always get all of my mom's attention and my brother would get my dad's attention. Of course now that I am older I have come to understand that I was loved just as much as my siblings, but as a kid I did not and because of that I struggled during my childhood.
I attended Washington Elementary from Kindergarten to sixth grade. I was never a shy kid, but most of my friends in elementary were guys. I was not the girly type; dolls and barbies did not catch my attention. I was into sports, marbles, and cars. The girls at school would always make fun of me and call me names but I didn't pay much attention to it. Due to the family problems I had at home I became very sensitive, but somehow I didn't let any of the name-calling get to me. It became easier to ignore everything once I got into sports in 4th grade. I always played soccer, football, and basketball at school, but it wasn't until 4th grade when I finally got to play with a real team. Soccer was the only sport I played until I got into middle school.
Middle school was a crazy experience for me. I went from a good student to one who was always causing trouble. The only reason I tried to keep my grades up was so that I can play sports. I became more involved with sports during middle school. I joined the soccer team as well as the basketball team and even got chosen as most athletic for the yearbook. At this point, I was still being told rude comments and because it was middle school they became more barbaric. Rumors began to spread about my sexuality and I suddenly became confused about it myself. The situation was now harder to ignore especially since I didn't have any close friends or family members, but it wasn't impossible. I continued playing sports and I tried my best to get my grades back up. By the end of 7th grade we were told that the schools in the district were going to be kindergarten to 8th grade, so my story goes back to Washington school where I spent my 8th grade year. At the end of my 8th grade year I began to figure out the kind of person I was. I didn't want to be the person who just ignored all the problems in life. I realized that no matter how hard I ignored a bad situation, it was still going to be there, so I began to stand up for myself when it was necessary. I still struggled with my grades but I managed to make it through and before I knew it I was headed to high school.
High school was a complete turn around for my life. Not only did I find myself as a person but also as a student. I was always striving for level 4's and I joined ASB to keep myself out of trouble. Getting involved with school activities did help me stay out of trouble and help me focus on school, so I stuck to it. One thing about high school that kind of tore me was that I had to choose between basketball and soccer. I ended up choosing basketball. I might have had more experience with soccer but I felt more comfortable on the court. As high school continued, I continued to participate in ASB and basketball and later got involved in yearbook as well as art club. I am now ranked 10 in my class and I have been awarded for my improvement in basketball. I also started working at McDonald's in order to help my mom as my family began to struggle financially. With the help of some teachers I came to the decision that I want to pursue a job with photography after I attend the Art Institutes in Hollywood. Of course I have a few back-up plans, but I am determined to make my dreams come true.
My story isn't perfect and it's definitely not the happiest, but it's my story. It's still being written, but as I look back at some of the pages I realize how far I've come. I see myself growing, I see myself learning from my mistakes. I see improvements in everything I do. I, Ivette Rachelle Bautista, will find a way to accomplish everything people believe I can't do. I will continue to grow because my story does not end here.
I attended Washington Elementary from Kindergarten to sixth grade. I was never a shy kid, but most of my friends in elementary were guys. I was not the girly type; dolls and barbies did not catch my attention. I was into sports, marbles, and cars. The girls at school would always make fun of me and call me names but I didn't pay much attention to it. Due to the family problems I had at home I became very sensitive, but somehow I didn't let any of the name-calling get to me. It became easier to ignore everything once I got into sports in 4th grade. I always played soccer, football, and basketball at school, but it wasn't until 4th grade when I finally got to play with a real team. Soccer was the only sport I played until I got into middle school.
Middle school was a crazy experience for me. I went from a good student to one who was always causing trouble. The only reason I tried to keep my grades up was so that I can play sports. I became more involved with sports during middle school. I joined the soccer team as well as the basketball team and even got chosen as most athletic for the yearbook. At this point, I was still being told rude comments and because it was middle school they became more barbaric. Rumors began to spread about my sexuality and I suddenly became confused about it myself. The situation was now harder to ignore especially since I didn't have any close friends or family members, but it wasn't impossible. I continued playing sports and I tried my best to get my grades back up. By the end of 7th grade we were told that the schools in the district were going to be kindergarten to 8th grade, so my story goes back to Washington school where I spent my 8th grade year. At the end of my 8th grade year I began to figure out the kind of person I was. I didn't want to be the person who just ignored all the problems in life. I realized that no matter how hard I ignored a bad situation, it was still going to be there, so I began to stand up for myself when it was necessary. I still struggled with my grades but I managed to make it through and before I knew it I was headed to high school.
High school was a complete turn around for my life. Not only did I find myself as a person but also as a student. I was always striving for level 4's and I joined ASB to keep myself out of trouble. Getting involved with school activities did help me stay out of trouble and help me focus on school, so I stuck to it. One thing about high school that kind of tore me was that I had to choose between basketball and soccer. I ended up choosing basketball. I might have had more experience with soccer but I felt more comfortable on the court. As high school continued, I continued to participate in ASB and basketball and later got involved in yearbook as well as art club. I am now ranked 10 in my class and I have been awarded for my improvement in basketball. I also started working at McDonald's in order to help my mom as my family began to struggle financially. With the help of some teachers I came to the decision that I want to pursue a job with photography after I attend the Art Institutes in Hollywood. Of course I have a few back-up plans, but I am determined to make my dreams come true.
My story isn't perfect and it's definitely not the happiest, but it's my story. It's still being written, but as I look back at some of the pages I realize how far I've come. I see myself growing, I see myself learning from my mistakes. I see improvements in everything I do. I, Ivette Rachelle Bautista, will find a way to accomplish everything people believe I can't do. I will continue to grow because my story does not end here.