Interview with Luz

By Luz Calix

This piece is an introduction to who I am in a professional light while also shedding light onto my ambitions and goals for the future.

What is your proudest achievement?
My greatest achievement would be my college essay. This piece is very important to me as it was very personal and honestly difficult to write. I spoke on the struggles of my anxiety and dove into what it felt like during one of my anxiety attacks in school. It was difficult because I had to be open about my feelings and allow myself to be vulnerable. But I overcame that and it became something I’m proud of because of how it pushed me to be honest and open.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
In five years I see myself publishing a second book because in the span of those five years I will have completed my first as well. In 10 years I see myself living a life I’m genuinely proud of. A life full of traveling while I write about anything and everything. I see myself writing and never stopping.

What is your greatest strength?
My greatest strengths are my dedication to my work, my work ethic, and compassion. I’ve always prioritized work whether it be paperwork, presentations, homework or even chores because they are my responsibilities. This makes for efficient work that isn’t sloppy but done correctly. My compassion allows me to communicate with those around me and create a very open and comfortable work environment.

Do you feel you work well under pressure?
Yes, I do work well under pressure. While being under pressure causes stress, it’s also great motivation. A prime example of this was during my senior year of high school. I had been taking AP Spanish and my Spanish teacher wasn’t very present throughout the year. Preparing for our exams consisted of watching short videos that did not help much. He expected the most out of us without helping or teaching us the proper way. Yet in the end I got the highest score out of the class with a five.

Why did you choose your college major?
I chose to major in creative writing in fiction as it has always been something that inspires me. As I grow older I realize that my love for writing and storytelling continues to grow with me and I want to continue to challenge myself. I want to focus on what inspires me and help it develop into something better. Strengthening my writing will allow for more interest from publishers and hopefully from there publish my works for the public.

Tell me about a project in school that you were particularly proud of. Why were you proud?
A project I’m proud of is an art project in school, more specifically a portrait. It’s something I’m very proud of because I started not knowing anything about the field. It was a lot of trial and error which at first upset me a lot because I was used to getting at least a decent grade on something within my first attempt. But with art, trial and error is inevitable even for highly skilled artists. In the end, when I had finally finished I felt very accomplished and I learned many things that I never would’ve known without having this experience.

What were your favorite classes? Why?
My favorite classes in school were always English and science. English was always a favorite for me as writing was my safe place and English class always allowed me to explore that safe place every day. Science became a favorite for me because it was always so satisfying learning more about how everything came to be. I specifically loved science that involved the human body, organisms and chemistry.

How would you describe your ideal job?
My ideal job would be to write. It’s as simple as that. Writing everything and anything without any barriers. More specifically, I’d want to be an author because I’d have more freedom to choose exactly what I want to write. With that freedom I’d write a fantasy book as that genre has always drawn me in personally.

What goals do you have for your career?
Some goals I have are publishing at least three books in my lifetime. Three books of different genres, for example a fantasy book, a romance book, and a thriller book. Another goal would be to write a book full of short stories.

If you had no limitations, how would you spend your time?
If I had no limitations I would spend my time traveling, reading, and writing. Anything that could spark creativity. I’ve always loved the idea of traveling and I think it would be amazing to travel and do something that I love more than anything. I would love to go to Paris and/or Greece. These places have always excited me since childhood and going would make the inner child in me so unbelievably happy and proud. Not only that but being able to travel without any issues means I’ve succeeded in my first dream and this is my consolation for the years of struggle.

Process

This piece was something that my mentor suggested and I thought it would be really fun. My mentor asked me the questions and I independently answered the questions. I learned a lot about myself as I thought back to all the times where I had to step up or the choices I made that led me to where I am right now. Thinking through my answers I also was able to finally put into words what I truly wanted for my future and set reasonable goals for myself.