“Celebrating your birthday, my birthday, different accomplishments in our lives…It’s just little things like that, that make me the happiest in my life.”

Stephanie Ramirez, a 19-year-old, reflects on her life’s happiest moments, emphasizing the significance of small, everyday experiences like birthdays and graduations.

She recounts overcoming low self-esteem during high school, particularly during COVID-19, and the personal growth she achieved upon graduating.

Stephanie also discusses the impact of losing her mother, which served as a motivational force.

She credits her teachers for their emotional and practical support throughout her school years, highlighting their collective influence on her life. Stephanie concludes that her experiences, both positive and negative, have shaped her into the person she is today.

(summary generated by Otter AI)

TRANSCRIPT:

Daniela Ramirez: Um.. so [laughs] tell me something about yourself.

Stephanie Ramirez: Um…

DR: Like your name [laughs], your age [laughs].

SR: Oh. My name is Stephanie. I’m 19 years old and I’m your older sister.

DR: [laughs] Um what was the happiest moment of your life?

SR: The happiest moment of my life… I guess I don’t really have one. It would just be like the little things in my life. So sorta like you know um. Like I guess like I guess um I don’t know. sorta like you know birthday’s, celebrating birthday’s with you celebrating your birthday my birthday or um you know like different accomplishments in our life’s. Such as you, you know culminating from elementary school or me graduating high school. Um. It’s just little things like that, that make me the happiest in my life.

DR: Mh… why were like- why do little things make you the happiest?

SR: Um.. I guess because there was this time in my life where I didn’t really appreciate everything. And it was more of I was just getting through the days because I had to get though the days instead of enjoying life. It was more of you know go to school, get home, do homework. But you know I’ve gotten to grow and change as a person and notice little things like oh birthdays are exciting you know Christmases are exciting. Um I guess just looking forward to the to the to the things in life- to the little things in life.

DR: Uh… How did like some of those like small happy moments like impact your life? Or like how you feel like [inaudible].

SR: I guess like I said I’m they just showed me to appreciate life because obliviously this our first time living and this is maybe the only time living. Maybe you know it’s not always gonna be happy or it’s not always gonna be um exciting like life is full of different things and you just never know what’s gonna happen in life so it’s good it enjoy these moments.

DR: Mh… What was one happy moment that you’ll never forget.

SR: Um… Lets see. Maybe graduating high school. I guess for me it was a big accomplishment because I would- once I started high school it was the time where I really I guess wasn’t the happiest. Um.. You know I graduated high school thinking, well I ended high school thinking I wasn’t gonna graduate or I wasn’t gonna continue and go to college. Um I thought very low of myself. You know uh I struggled a lot during high school. Um but graduating it just- it felt so good because you know it was sorta like saying like I can do it and I’m actually capable of doing a lot more things then I believe in myself and so yea it like I guess like it opened up how how like how much confidence I put in myself.

DR: Mh… why did you think so low of yourself when you started high school?

SR: Um.. it was just because I struggled a lot during COVID, like continuing school, you know attending school and I feel like it was like that for a lot of people. But um I sorta just like you know gave up and thought oh it’s not gonna matter, like its just school, but I do regret thinking that way and you know I was I was just um I guess I was just struggling with myself um my confidence my self confidence a lot. But um I’m glad like I pushed through and I was able to you know continue to and and I guess fight for um for this, for school.

DR: Mh.. why do you think it was one of the happiest moments of your life or like one of one of the happiest moments.

SR: I think so because it was sorta just like a you know I actually did it or like I was proving myself or I was proving a point that I was actually able to conquer and to go through every obstacle that you go through in high school even if that’s personal relationships you know or like person issues or you know um you know typical high school drama and you know just- just about everything that high school throws at you. You know cause even though you know it’s seems exciting its also very nerve-wracking knowing you’re officially gonna I guess um finish your not well yea finish your teenage years and actually get put-into adult hood.

DR: Um what was the-what was the one bad memory you will never forget that happened?

SR: Um I honestly have a lot which is very common to have but not as common to have as a 19 year old but. Um I don’t think I have a specific bad thing just because it’s there’s a lot of things in life that happen. Um.. but yea. I feel like it all like all the little things or like all the bad things pile up and you just it destroys not destroys you completely but you know it- it hurts you in a way. So even though you know oh one little bad thing happens to me um you know its gonna be- its gonna be okay you know and you can continue and you can push through it.

DR: Mh do you think that there’s one specific bad memory that impacted you the most?

SR: Um maybe it would just be you know, losing mom, but just because you know its-its hard dealing with absolutely any type of you know death um… but I really wouldn’t use it as as a way of it impacting me badly you know as even though like it like it hurt and obviously we suffered and we went through so much um it was actually also a motivation to continue to push and to you know to just be stronger.

DR: Um.. who had the biggest impact on your life?

SR: Um… the biggest impact on my life mh… Honestly it would probably be all my all my teachers, because you know, they weren’t only there for me like based on school they were honesty there for me when I needed it you know personally they would listen to me, they would you know defend me, they would talk to me and you know they would they would give me advise and I feel like um I just grew a good bond with a lot of my teachers. You know um and I just I really appreciate them for you know being there for me emotionally, mentally, physically you know and I feel like as a student and as a person sometimes meeting- when you meet the right teachers they’re the ones that are gonna help you the most or their the ones that are gonna try and understand you the most you know but yea.

DR: Is their one specific teacher that was there for you the most?

SR: Mh… that I can think off the top of my head no. Um.. you know cause I feel like it would change or you know it would um they would all help me or impact me the same way. You know it would um yea it would be the same or you know as we grow older I feel like they deal with kids the same age and they like they know what kids go through they know how to help as much as they can.

DR: Do you think if those teachers weren’t there for you um would things have gone like do you think that they have had a big impact on you?

SR: Yea. I feel like um.. I feel like teachers help you a lot or like them um..they go through a lot as well because every year they’re meeting new people they don’t know how they don’t know how they’ll react or how they’ll be but they adapt to it and they help and they they, you know, they try they try to be there as much as much as possible and I feel like my-my teachers helped me a lot because I relied to them a lot because I didn’t really like being home, I didn’t really like um you know I would spend most of my time at school. I would stay after school and I’d go and I would talk to them you know even if it was just to hang out they’d be there you know so yea I don’t- I think they’re the ones that pushed me the most and that you know that that helped me the most.

DR: Um.. what had the biggest impact on your life not who but what?

SR: Mh… I guess just the things I’ve been through you know like um.. just the things in general because if those things never happened to me they would have shaped me as a person I am today.

DR: Um.. okay well thank you for your time.

SR: Thank you.