Name: Amy Castillo
Birth: July 9th 1997
Major: Psychology
Amy Castillo just finished her sophomore year; she is studying Psychology at Goshen College.
Year: Sophomore
When and where were you happiest?
Mexico. Living there gave me a sense of my culture and showed me that all the first world problems I had in the U.S. didn’t matter at all. I learned to live of the love of the land and its people. I learned that living with the basic necessities, what others considered nothing, was living with everything that made me genuinely happy.
What was one of the most defining moments in your life?
In reality every moment big or small in my life has defined me. Yet there are those I look back upon the most.
- The development of a tumor in my liver that pushed me to endure the pain of it’s symptoms and therapy throughout my senior year.
- The expectation of a teenage marriage at the age of 15, which led me to leave my parents in Mexico and return to the U.S.
- Overcoming the harm my aunt caused in my childhood, her abuse pushed me to become aware of the cruelty of this world.
- My decision to attend college. This has been one of the greatest experience, filling my life with marvelous people that have become family to me.
If you were president, what is the first thing you would do?
Immigration reform. This is a topic that has affected so many individuals in the United States, often time only used to gain votes and feed false hope to the people.
“Why buy the cow when you can milk it for corruption.”- Cristina Martinez
What does a perfect day look like to you?
In company of loved ones, appreciating one another and laughing until our spleens hurt.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I have a lot of things that go on in my mind and when speaking to others I have found that they feel the same way. If I were to change anything about my self is to be more outspoken about these issues.
QUICK ANSWERS
What do you feel most proud of? My parents, immigrants that leave there land in hopes of giving there loved ones a better life. The brave people that leave everything they know.
What is your strongest personal quality? My humor. I love making people laugh and have a 99.8% effectiveness at it.
What is a skill you would like to learn and why? Learning other languages, a lot of culture comes from the language the people speak. Language is the key to peace.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
- Mas sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.
- No existe peor ciego que el que no quiere ver.
- My mistakes make me who I am, and I love that.
- God is always there.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Patience. Sometime you just have to grab the bull by the horns.
What teacher in school made the most impact on you and why? Mrs. Marjorie Del Bosque she taught me how to embrace the Latina in me while pushing to be more than this world could ever expect of me.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Frida Kahlo. She expressed herself like she wanted too, found beauty where no one else did and loved her heritage like no other.
Best childhood memory: My parents worked everyday of the week when we were young. A lot of my childhood memories involved my brother and I playing inside the house, because my mother warned us that she would get into a lot of trouble if anyone saw us outside alone. My parents saw that we missed them so one Saturday my father built us a fort, went out to get donuts and rented brother bears. We spent most of the morning in that fort. After my mom got home from work we went to the park and had a picnic. My parents let us run our hearts out. I don’t remember the a lot about that day but I do remember seeing my parents relaxed and happy and that made us happy.
What is your most marked characteristic? My honesty. I believe in being upfront with people because lying is just too much work.
Which living person do you most admire? My mother. That woman has strength and youth like no other.
What is it that you most dislike? Hate rooted from ignorance.
Greatest fear: Losing my parents.
Favorite place to live: Ojo de Agua, San Nicolas Tolentino, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
Favorite occupation: Anything involving connection with people.
Favorite writer: Isabel Allende.
Favorite song: “Little wonders.”