The Next Chapter Anonymous

New York–the city that never sleeps, the concrete jungle–is home to the Empire State Building, Strawberry Fields, and bustling Wall Street. It is a city that rose in the awe of American pioneers, and was built on the backs of immigrants. New York is its own place while being a little bit of everything–wholly defined and redefined by the individual walking through its streets, by the tourists and natives, looking through the ads on Fifth Avenue and listening to the music of Harlem.

I grew up in Miami, the only other place anywhere near as culturally diverse as New York. Miami has 100 sides, and then one; there’s big business in Downtown Miami, a street art hub in Wynwood, rich culture in Little Havana, and the oh-so-chic side of Brickell, Miami Beach. The works. There isn’t a place quite like it. To an outsider, it’s a conglomerate of immigrants bridging a divide between their native countries and the United States. But to me, a young Hispanic stuck between three worlds--Colombia, Cuba, and the United States--it is home.

When I think of my college application process, I struggle with the idea of leaving Hialeah; I have lived here my entire life. But as I enter this new adventure, I am excited to see what possibilities await me....