Senior Jocelyn Cruz grew up in Humboldt Park with her parents, grandparents, and her 12 year old sister.

She went to Alfred Nobel Elementary which was very important to her becoming who she is today as a student. She attends Phoenix Military Academy and has a grade point average of 3.0.

With her mother as a seamstress and father as a welder, she understood the importance of working and being able to do things for herself.

Many could say her father pulled himself up by his bootstraps and was influenced by his father, an owner of a lime and orange field.

The way her grandfather influenced her father is synonymous to how her father influenced her. She knew that her father was hardworking and she paid attention to him when he was at home because, like it was previously stated, he was occupied with his job.

“He believes Latinos should get more representation,” said Cruz.

She grew up with a father who was proud of his race; that led her to follow him on the trips he took to watch and listen Latino artist.

Today, she still watches movies and listens to music with her father, but she also does it on her own time.

“My father and I would watch movies about influential Latinos which led me to do the same,” said Cruz.

Inside of school, she enjoys helping in supply because of her mother’s experience as a seamstress and Cruz sometimes watches her sew at home. After school, some of her time is spent watching Netflix.

“My favorite actors would be Salma Hayek, Cantinflas, and Eugenio Derbez,” said-Cruz.

Overall, Cruz has been influenced by her household and the people it contains. She works hard because she has seen her parents do the same and she watches movies because, growing up, she enjoyed spending time with her father.