5 Questions with Giselle Hernandez

Angelica Fregoso, Staff Writer
March 7, 2016

Dianna Jimenez
JV soccer player, Giselle Hernandez, 11, was born without her left arm, but does not let that stop her from doing what she loves best: playing soccer. “I was born without an arm, so I had to get used to doing things differently,” Hernandez says. “It motivates me because I like to challenge myself at times.”\

DHS soccer player Giselle Hernandez, 11, plays a pivotal role on the JV team as defense, and the attitude she utilizes reflects the one she has gained throughout her life while overcoming the adversity of being born with only one arm.

Q1: How has not having an arm made your life easier or harder? Has it motivated you?

A1: I was born without an arm, so I had to get used to doing things differently and it motivates me because I like to challenge myself at times.

Q2: Is there someone in your life who inspires you every day? An athlete?

A2: My parents inspire me a lot, because they say that if I have my mind set to something I can do it.

Q3: What inspired you to try out for the soccer team?

A3: I wanted to be a part of something with the school, so I thought that would be good since I played soccer.

Q4: How significant has the role of sports been in your life?

A4: Soccer has helped me to be more confident about myself, because I used to be really insecure about myself, but I feel better when I play soccer.

Q5: Do you have any advice you’d like to give anyone who would like to try out for a sport, but feels discouraged to do so?

A5: I would say go for it and try out…you might not be the best at first, but if you keep working hard and pushing yourself, you’ll do better.

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About the Contributors

Angelica Fregoso, Staff Writer

After realizing that 4,382 students registered in less than a week to join Downey High School, Angelica Fregoso had the desire to go out there and spread the word about newspaper. She cannot wait to interview new students and write their stories to fit in with the others located in the Legends category.

“Nobody in this school really knows each other,” Fregoso said. “I mean there are so many students now, so I believe it is possible to have them get to know one another by getting to read each others’ stories on Downey Legend.”

If she is able to promote newspaper to the students, then those students can read stories about others’ lives and view them differently.

“Many people, many stories,” Fregoso said, “and when students pass each other without knowing who they're walking by, mainly because of how they dress or how they talk, it's kind of sad, because one can't simply judge a book by its cover.”

She knows how it feels to walk past students and not know who they are. During her freshman year, Fregoso moved to Downey High from St. Emydius, a private middle school, that only had about 250 students.

“That school was so little,” Fregoso said, “almost everyone knew each other.”

During the middle of her sophomore year, former newspaper writer, Akhila Nalamilli, mentioned the Downey Legend newspaper with Fregoso.

“Angelica is a very nice girl,” Nalamilli said. “Her writing is amazingly done and a great use for newspaper.”

Fregoso's love for writing came to her when she was in first grade; as she started taking tests on The Magic Treehouse: Age of Dinosaurs, she loved the idea of being able to write her own stories and include her own characters and make her own world.

It is not really a goal to write those kinds of stories to this day, Fregoso pointed out. Joining newspaper was to become open-minded and to write actual stories of actual people rather than typing fiction.

“Although it seemed interesting to write what I want my characters to say and how I want my world to work out,” Fregoso said, “I think it's better to write what real characters say and how their worlds work.”

Knowing how she had a flowing passion to accomplish this goal, Norma Fregoso, mother of Angelica, agrees that she can do it.

“My daughter has always been a creative writer,” Mrs. Fregoso said. “Ever since she was a young child, she has expressed interest for writing stories.”

Fregoso's writing also inspired her friends to improve on various things like essays and CQTs.

“Angelica's very passionate and puts all her emotions into her work,” Carolina Marin, Fregoso's best friend said. “Not everyone has the ability to express themselves correctly, and I feel that she is capable of conveying her point thoroughly and emotionally without confusing or misleading the reader.”

With much more to experience, Fregoso patiently waits for what stories she will be writing about in newspaper, and to obtain knowledge about the lives of students, teachers, and the citizens of Downey.

Dianna Jimenez, Staff Writer

The new AP English class, AP Language and Composition, at Downey High School has given junior, Dianna Jimenez the opportunity to excel. Jimenez is an AP student that has a similar mindset to other AP students; she wants to push her writing capabilities further.

“I want to improve my writing,” Jimenez said, “not only for high school English, but for college as well.”

Jimenez chose to take AP Language and Composition because she wants to rectify any mistakes she has in her writing before she writes her prompt to apply to college.

“I chose to take AP Language and Composition because I felt with my experience in Honors 10 and the skills I developed that I would succeed in the class,” junior, Victoria Lopez said. “I like to challenge myself.”

Lopez and Jimenez feels comfortable in her AP class because she is surrounded by students who are passionate to learn and motivated to pursue the same goal.

“I like to write and I enjoyed Honors English 10 with Ms. Kasner,” junior, Andrew Bilodeau said, “so an opportunity to become a better writer in a subject I enjoy was to hard to pass up.”

Bilodeau has taken three years of AP/Honors English classes at Downey High School, similarly to Jimenez. AP Language and Composition includes more discussion of themes and broader concepts, making the class more interactive, rather than a traditional English class. In Bilodeau’s and Jimenez’s opinion it is a more productive learning environment.

Jimenez hopes to develop her writing skills on her writing because she believes writing is a central skill of everyday life and will be useful for her in the future.

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5 Questions with Giselle Hernandez

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