As a first-generation Mexican American you are put under a lot of pressure, not knowing what’s next moving forward from high school is somewhat of a fear of Yessenia’s. Yessenia Silva is a student at Frederick high school, she is 17 years old, she’s a very talented artist, plays for the FHS girl’s soccer team, is passionate about animal welfare, and is also a very fun and exiting person.

Yessenia started playing soccer in the 7th grade and has loved the sport ever since, she started playing for the FHS girl’s soccer team her freshman year and is planning to finish off strong her senior year. Silva enjoys playing soccer. When confronted with the question of whether or not she will continue to play soccer after high school “ It would be a dream to pursue this sport but I will not.” she said. Yessenia said that soccer was a great experience and she recommends others to join extracurricular activities because it’s a good way to make friends and distract yourself from school. She’s gotten closer to people because of the sport and overall really enjoys it.

Besides school and soccer Silva also has a job at Dairy queen she says she enjoys working there, in her free time she likes to draw, and she likes going out with her friends and dancing. As a first-generation Mexican American Yessenia says “It feels good to be able to be raised with a culture I love so much, It’s more inspiring to continue working hard after looking in the past and seeing where your family has been.” She also says it’s kinda stressful. At a young age, Yessenia was diagnosed with hard of hearing and got a hearing aid. This had an impact on her but it never truly affected her, she said she always pulled through. 

After high school, Yessenia said that she wants to attend college but she still hasn’t decided on which one to go to, she plans on becoming a vet tech and beginning her veterinary program. Yessenia wants to work with animals, mainly horses. As a kid, she had a horse and a chihuahua so at a young age she took a liking to take care of animals.

Some advice she left for underclassmen and future high school students is to stay on top of the work and to turn it in on time. She said, “It’s better than trying to do it later when your grade is already dropping for not turning it in on time”. Now that Yessenia is graduating, the most valuable thing high school has taught her is that “Not everything can go your way or the right way but always have a positive view.” she told The Lantern.