The Puerto Rican Hibiscus has a high concentration of calcium, iron, and potassium. It is mostly cultivated as an ornamental tree for the beauty of its large flowers, but can be also used in desserts as a softly sweet ingredient.

My childhood was a constant shift between my Dominican and Puertorrican roots. My cousins and I are first generation of Puertorrican-born from Dominican parents, meaning that I was always being influenced by customs at home and other customs at school, mostly based on language and idiomatic differences. During elementary school I was very studios, yet talkative in the classroom. By the end of second grade I was informed that I would be skipping the third and going straight to fourth grade. It took me some time to adjust to new people and different rules. Ever since then, most of the people i tend to familiarize with are older than I am. The media I watched also had an influence on how I thought about myself. What i said, how I actedAside from that, i would be found writing short stories, painting chalk, or drawing.

My most memorable moment, which I am unsure I have the authority to call mine was finding out about the death of an acquaintance. He was the friend of a friend, shot dead at a collegetown bar last year. I remember I only saw him once, the day that I met him. He was with my friend looking for apartments to move in together and three weeks later I saw on the news and in social media the report about his death: he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was hard to see and support my friend. But in that process I learned that life is fragile and that every moment and breath we have is an opportunity to be better and to help others be better. I promised myself, after that, that I would never let my feelings towards issues or other people go unheard.

Every family is special in their own unique way. I would say mine is unique because of the summers we would all spend together: 7 to 8 cousins living under one roof with my grandparents where we would share stories about the lives we lived when we were apart. We made a lot of road trips to visit other family members too. Here in Puerto Rico, on the other hand, we would go to different gastronomical spots every Sunday.

There are two things I have done that I consider to be unusual. The first: traveling to New Orleans with a group of students from another major i barely even knew during college. That developed into me having a minor in Marketing. The second: Taking the leap and competing in the Miss Earth pageant, something I thought I would never do. I decided to take a chance and see what new ventures this experience would bring, and here I am, representing my country, Puerto Rico.

Even though countries have different ecosystems, they all share one factor: the effects of climate change. It is not uncommon for us to look for information about venues or restaurants to visit when traveling. However, with this new wave of the environmentally conscious tourists, it is imperative to keep a few tips in mind: buy refillable water bottles to help reduce our carbon print, avoid plastics and cans to lower the amount of residues produced, research the environmental policies of every place to visit, be aware of the appropriate use and disposal of products in sensitive environments as you choose nature-friendly accomodations whose most, if not all products and produce are local.

Puerto Rico is a country that never loses faith and that always finds a way to strive, even when all odds are against us. The people of Puerto Rico have one of the greatests hearts and use their creativity to the fullest in order to let others know just that. I can speak for the people of my generation when i say that we are not the ones to stay silent against any injustice or adversity. I am proud to have been born in a country whose citizens are not afraid, whose voices never go unheard, whose movements are the force that inspire and create change in others.