Durable Dreams

Cristal Lebron

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   My name is Cristal. I am a very understandable and kind person from time to time bipolar. I love makeup. It’s something i love to do. I have lived in the bronx for part of my life. Something important that was turning point in my life was coming to pulse. Before i was one of those students that really didn’t care about school like that. At first the beginning of 9th grade i was doing good till as i reached every grade i started getting lazy till now things are changing little by little. In school i really like to stick to myself. I find it more peaceful sticking to myself not dealing with any drama. In school im good in english class and other classes if i put the effort into them. Some teachers just don’t motivate you to do what you have to do and to be honest it would be good to have some motivation at least from teachers. Outside of school i like to just go home and rest. I be feeling too stressed with school so home is my happy place. Sometimes i chill with friends when i’m in the mood. Outside of school Read More

Justin Cordero

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I am Justin Cordero, but you can call me Big Homie Jay. I’m 18 years old. I’m a senior in high school. I love to play sports and video games. I’m from the Bronx. I was born on July 18, 1998. A big turning point in my life was when my grandmother died a few years back. She was my main support system, my grandmother, my best friend and my everything. I had to adjust to not having her in my life anymore which took some time and I had to do so at a critical time in my stages of maturing which led me to do things in life that I’m not proud of. I learned from my mistakes though and will be graduating in June which is my first step to bettering myself and preparing myself for adulthood. I’m a Bronx native born and raised I’ve lived in the same apartment in the same neighborhood my whole life. Although I have a second apartment upstate which is like a getaway for me in my parents’ house which is in Wappinger Falls, New York. That place lets me see a different way of life. The people are much more Read More

Siree Barry

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My name is Siree Mariama Barry, but most people call me, Siree but also others call me Mariama too, but Siree is common. I was born on May 28, 1998, on a Thursday in St Barnabas Hospital. Right now I am currently 18 years old, a senior at P.U.L.S.E high school. Throughout my life, I moved from three different locations, starting from Burnside to River Park Towers. Now I am at Franklin Avenue, located in the Bronx. I had a lot of downfalls in my life that I wish not to speak about, but what I can talk about is what I did to stay a strong woman and get through those downfalls. Messing up in high school had to be the worst mistake I made because it pushed me back and made me think I wouldn’t be a successful woman or come home make my parents proud and show them I did it. I didn’t have anybody to push me harder to succeed. I motivated myself by telling myself: “Do what you gotta do to show people you can do it without needing no one’s help.”  Now that I pushed myself I’m one step closer to graduating in June. One person Read More

Natali Valdez

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My name is Natali M. Valdez. I am 19 years old. I was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Upper Manhattan NYC. I am captain of three softball teams and captain of a swimming team. In both sports, I am both sponsored by New York Yankee’s, Under Armour and Colgate. I am a person who is not normal, but normal if that makes any sense. I love reading about what’s going on around me and seeing how I could one day make a change, and stand up for those who feel like they are silent and feel un-welcomed. I believe that history can and will repeat itself. Since I moved to NYC, I’ve witness many things some were bad, and some were good. Growing up as a teen, I started to see how racism is returning but not as bad as it used to be. I am currently a senior at P.U.L.S.E. High School. Coming to P.U.L.S.E. has been a huge change, and I’ve done it for myself and my future. I like waking up and having motivation by all my teachers and pushing me to graduate as soon as possible and giving me the knowledge that my other school Read More

Solanlly Liranzo

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My name is Solanlly.  I was born December 7th, and I’m a high school student, a senior at P.U.L.S.E. High School. I am Dominican-American. I lived in the Bronx my whole life and lived in far rock away for almost two years. When it comes to school, I mainly focus on my grades. I work hard and try my best to remain on top of my assignments and turn them in on time. There’s not much to do in school. My schedule consists of all major classes and no activities or clubs. I wish there were more activities provided to the students, but that is nearly impossible because the school mainly focuses on the credits of the students and the recovery as well as the developments. The only fun thing I do in school is in the first block. I can exercise and feel good about myself healthwise. I am good at keeping up with the instructions and working with others to get things done. Out of school, I enjoy spending most of my time at home. However, the days that I’m out of the house. I like spending time with my closest friends. One of the things I definitely don’t Read More

Jonathan De La Mota

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I’m Jonathan De La Mota. I’m a nice person who is very generous, and I can be funny at times. I was born in the Bronx, New York. A turning point in my life was when I transferred out of private school to public school. I have lived in The Bronx all my life. I like to do all my work so I can talk to my friends and go about my day. I like PM school. I’m good at making people laugh and have a good time. I like to complete my assignments and talk to my teachers concerning about my grade. When I’m outside of school, I like to be relaxed and eat as much food as possible because I like to eat food very much. I like fashion and sports. I’m good at NBA 2K and dressing up. I’m Dominican. What can I say? That’s how we are.

Olga Morales

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I’m Olga Morales, but growing up surrounded by drugs, alcoholic’s, and gang bangers in the streets of a city that never sleeps. Although my surroundings are tough, i was taught that your surroundings do not make who you are. I believe the way you are raised has the biggest impact of who you will become.           I was raised by my parents, both of my parents are hard working people, i don’t get to see them as much since bills have to be paid and food needs to be on the table. I took that into effect and started messing up in school to help around the house being that i was the oldest girl. I had realized that school will be the only way out. Coming back to school and working through my last year feels great! I am an example that “hard work pays off.“         Everyday after school i like to relax and take time off from being the determined student i am. Though i always find myself completing all my assignments at home before the due date, I  make sure that i’m always on track with everything that needs Read More

Kiara Natal

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Hello my name is Kiara Natal. There are many things in this world that are important to me. Well, not exactly things, more like . . . people. I say “people” because material things can always be replaced by something else. But there are some people in your life that you can never be replace. One of those people in my life is my mom. She is the reason I  am the person I am today. I was born in the Bronx, but when I was younger I moved around a lot. I lived in all different types of places; I lived in neighborhoods where people would not even consider living there for a second. Then on the other hand, I also lived in neighborhoods where everyone was nice. Where you can just walk down the street without having to worry if something was going to happen to you. So, for me. one advantage I have had was being able to enjoy both perspectives. At this very point in my life the only thing I’m interested in is graduating high school. I am a student at PULSE High School, but this was not always my school. Before coming to this Read More

Natasia Shannon

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  My name is Natasia Shannon I’m 18 years old. I was born November 17,1998.I grew up in the best borough Harlem(Manhattan)Ny.I love reading. My favorite  genre is urban. I love to cook and eat at the same time. I love to make jokes and have fun. I’m  apart of a family with the ages  9,15,18,21 And 2. The youngest is my daughter Savannah.  Savannah was born December 31, 2014. I know right a New Years Eve baby!  One of the best times until we go back to school on January 2nd. But because I just had a baby and didn’t go through the healing process. My old  school decided for me to get home schooled. Which was hard because sometimes I be in the middle of a session learning and  I still had to go back and forth to  change her pamper, rock her to sleep and mainly breastfeed. It is challenging when you a teen mom and in school. But that didn’t stop me I was homeschool for 5 months. And return back to my original school by September. Many people believe I would drop out and not get far in life. But little  do everyone knows my Read More

Fatoumata Kebe

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My name if Fatoumata Kebe. I am a very kind hearted person with a great personality. I was born December 29, 1998. Something very important happened to me when my little brother and niece passed away. It was a really sad moment and a very bad day, nobody really knows when your time is up. I was born in the bronx but raised in West Africa. I like school activities and love working with cool teachers. I also like doing all my work, like making sure i got all my homeworks. I am good at communicating peacefully with my teacher and having conversations with other students. I really enjoy working with others and writing. I am good writing essay sometimes. I got this way learning it from one of my english teachers and also by staying focused.  

Derek Aponte

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My name is Derek Aponte and I am currently enrolled in Pulse High School. I can’t wait to graduate it’s going to be a huge accomplishment for me last year 2016 was suppose to be my graduation year, But I was always told never to give up when I first entered pulse I only needed 7 credits, now I am only needing 4, it’s not hard to get your credits and do what you have to do.   Before attending pulse I wasn’t doing what I had to do I was stuck I was so worried I wasn’t going to be able to graduate without having to do a G.E.D. program. Where I went wrong was when I kept choosing my friends or other responsibilities. I never would attend class on a daily basis I would go and leave school early to work or hang out, But I ran into a problem where I hit a barrier when i couldn’t get anymore higher in the chain of command without having a diploma, it’s different in P.U.L.S.E you can’t just leave whenever you want to so I won’t have to worry about anything but just school, And I appreciate having people Read More

Kenya Fernandez

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I’m Kenya Fernandez, I am A 17 year old girl that will be turning 18 in June. I was born here in the Bronx on June 27. Out of all the people I know and all the family members I have, out of all them I was most close with my cousin Nia. A turning point in my life was when she moves more than 100 miles away. I know what you probably thinking 100 miles isn’t as much but, compare to when she live two houses up and I was seeing her EVERYDAY! It makes A HUGE difference. Me and Nia were more than cousins, she was my best friend. Her leaving New York hurt me so much, I feel as if I lost my other half. What upsets me more is she was forced to leave without telling me. She always told me she was leaving, but when a person tells you a story multiple and it don’t happen you tend to not listen after a while. She told me it was officially she was really moving, but she didn’t tell me exactly when. She didn’t know herself… I found out TWOOO WHOLE DAYSSS AFTER she left that Read More