Zamira Diaz, a sophomore at Cypress Creek, has had to overcome many struggles during her time in the U.S. Before moving, she lived in Puerto Rico with her parents and brother. When Diaz turned four, they moved to America, and Diaz’s life changed forever. The reason they moved was not for her parents to have a better life, but for her and her brother to have both a better education and future.

One of the biggest disadvantages in education is the lack of technology, because people in the U.S. have technology like phones with them everywhere. People in Puerto Rico aren’t as fortunate to have these, meaning they aren’t as advanced as American students. Diaz explained how her mom spoke with her to explain the disadvantage that schools had when it came to education, leading to their move to America. When Diaz first got here, she was ignorant and wanted to go back to her island. Not only did she not know the language, but she was also bullied because she didn’t know English and was mistreated. She spoke about how seeing her family being so far away made her sad, but as she grew older, she started to see her mom’s point of view and started to become happy about where she was.

Occasionally, she takes trips back to Puerto Rico to see the island where she was born, and see all its beauties she once grew up in. When first talking about her home island, she recalled these places in sadness, but she started to become happier about them as she kept reminding herself about going back each year. One place she reminisces about are the beaches. Diaz loves Floridian beaches, but she stated how they cannot compare to Puerto Rican beaches, as the peace she got there cannot compare to that of Florida. Diaz explained, “The beauty of the island can’t be compared to the beauty here.”

She also described the other beauties of Puerto Rico like El Morro and El Viejo San Juan, some other places she goes to when she returns. El Morro is a castle, designed to scare invaders coming from the sea. Diaz explained how it never loses its touch as the grass is beautiful and you can lay for hours. She also loves El Viejo San Juan for the vibrant lights and the atmosphere. There is music on every corner and people dancing everywhere. She loved talking about it, saying how being there was like a movie, but she was living in her own storybook.

“When I was seeing the lights, I felt like I was in a story of my own where I could enjoy the peace of the place but also as if I was partying with my friends.”

But one of the things she loves the most is being with her family. From famous dancing to intense board games, her and her family are always in heavy competition. They also love making their games high stakes, where you can even bet on more chores. From coming from a complicated start in the U.S., Diaz was able to accomplish many of her dreams here. She is academic, being on honor roll, while also leaving her mark on the track field. Through every accomplishment, she always feels proud of herself and is content with her parents’ decision to move for a better life, as she is living it