Veronica Porras's Blog (34)

      It's almost school time and I know that everyone is still enjoying the summer. However, I just wanted to wish the best for all of you. I do so almost everyday. Latinitas means much to me. It is an incredible organization with beautiful young women with bright futures ahead of them. I wish all of you to continue working hard and have no limits. Keep dreaming big and reaching up. It gets better always.

      I know that school can get frustrating sometimes but the best thing that…

     I'm just going to vent. Writing has become this big issue for me. I love writing and it used to be a simple task that I was not afraid of or had to actively think about. However, I am still at alert. I want to make sure that all my writing makes sense but I also have so much to say and so many words to say it in.

     I continue to write things that don't entirely make sense or aren't as detailed. This means that some people haven't done their job right and taught me well. I'm a…

      There are plenty of reasons why I'm not at the Texas Capitol at this moment. It is the one place I wish I were at right now but I cannot be. If everything happens for a reason, I believe that part of why I'm not able to be there today is because I would get in trouble. The Capitol has been inundated for days with women and men protesting what the media is calling "abortion bills." The uproar started when Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Houston, stood for more than 13 hours to filibuster Senate…

      I don't know what to write about today. Well, every day there is so much I would like to say that I end up not saying much at all. My life is crazy. One day I'm having the worst day of my life but, in the next, I get closer to my dreams. I feel the love again and it is a perfect thing.

      I guess I'll talk about love. Love is the most cliché thing you can talk about. At least, I've always thought so. It is hard for me to open up and say I love you. But then it isn't hard at…

    I can hear two televisions as I write this post. One is blasting the loud music of an action movie and the other is blasting a novela. My sister Jazmin is keeping me company although is very busy studying for her summer math course. I'm sitting in the kitchen writing because I feel this intense energy and wish with all my heart that I was actually at the Texas Capitol seeing feminist history unfold. I keep thinking of what the word means to me and how important it is going to be from now…

Dear Feminist,

I want to express the unconditional gratitude I have for you. You kept me company when I was sad, angry, and vulnerable. You were there to help me when I needed someone the most. I want to thank you for all the strength you have given me and for helping me reach my goals and complete them. I love you. I am very lucky to have you because you have transformed me from a shy little girl to an incredible woman. I am a leader because of your passion and determination. Keep…

    Have you ever felt guilty after eating a large piece of pizza? Do you ever obsess about your weight and count calories like there is no tomorrow because there is this fear that will not go away? Have you ever though it is healthy to starve yourself in order to fit into those size zero pants you saw at the store? If so, maybe you have an eating disorder or are in danger of developing one. Do not panic, know that you are not alone, and that you can get through it.

    I have been…

     At the most western point of Texas, there is a city by the name of El Paso. El Paso is known by many different names by its residents. Those that are proud of the heat call it "Sun City." Those that know the rich history of Mexican-Americans say it's called "Chucotown." Others influenced by hip-hop say its "El 915." I call it home. El Paso is were I was born and raised. Although I thought I would never find myself here again, I am here today.

     Unlike many that live here, I…

The following is a poem I wrote for class today. We watched a good documentary called "Precious Knowledge." Then, we mimicked some of the "I am" poems made by students from Arizona. They wrote such poems of self-discovery and identity when they had a Chicano/a program.

I am woman

By Veronica Porras

I am woman…

    One of the hardest things that I have had to deal with my whole life has been body image. Body image is the way you look at yourself. It's the way in which your mind perceives your exterior. It's the very personal relationship you have with yourself and is highly tied to your self-esteem. I can admit that I struggle with the way I look at my body. At times, I am not very happy about my appearance.

     This unhealthy relationship with my body started early on in my life. I was not…

     Part of the fun part of having an existential crisis and my body telling me to slow down involves reading. I missed reading for leisure so bad and since I want to understand the meaning of life and the world around me, I’m reading plenty of other people’s journey and life lessons. This helps me see how they came to self-realization.

     The particular book I’m reading right now is called “Thirty Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by The Time She’s 30” by the…

     I’m sorry that I’m being so narcissistic when I write but I hope that some of the things I write down do inspire some of you to explore your identity as well. It’s a very powerful thing to know yourself and what you contribute to the world.

     I would also like you to know that even adults need help too. I want to make it a point to let you know more about what I discover because I know that some of the things I go through will be of interest to you. Life is going to get…

     Last week, I had coffee with a fellow feminist friend that I had not seen in 3 1/2 years. I "ran into" her at BookPeople as I was trying to meet Sonya Sotomayor (which proved to be impossible because of the mass amount of people that showed up to the event). It was great to see her after so long since she is one of the first feminists I ever became acquaintance with. I think she is one of the first women ever to get me incredibly in tune with politics and really showed me what it was…

     I'm not sure if there are words to describe how phenomenally crazy the year 2012 was for me. At least it feels like there aren't any. It was like my favorite song of the past school semester, "Rollercoaster of Love" performed by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. There were huge peaks in this rollercoaster where I almost flew out of my seat and lost all control. It was "no bueno" and you know what that leads too. Then, there was the adrenaline rush and the high hopes. Finally, there was…

De: La Ronnie

Para: Latinitas

              Los doctores del Grey's Anatomy se siguen muriendo y yo alli todavia pegada a la television. El Papi Chulo, Dr. Sloan a.k.a. McSteamy, died at the beginning of the new season y otros se fueron del show tambien. Ya me tienen harta y quiero saber el final porque esto de que estos mensos sobreviven todo es ridiculo. Me pregunto para que miro el show si nisiquiera tiene muchas Latinas that represent! La Sara Ramirez es la unica…

            Ask Latina professional women what they wish they had growing up and most will tell you – mentors who looked, acted like, and grew up like myself.  Latinitas is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide role models in the Latina community by empowering young women using media and technology. It cultivates community leaders to mentor, teach technology, media and cultural literacy to Hispanic and other girls and is composed of different outreach programming in several Texas…

      I have been driving myself crazy trying to figure out what to post about next. I started plenty of blogs but not one seemed to be what I wanted to say. I found all of the blogs I started either too personal, too emotional, too self-centered, too nerdy, or maybe not Latino enough. So, let's talk about keeping up with one's blog.

    It is not hard to fall behind on your blog when you are busy, tired, lazy, cranky, overwhelmed, delirious, mad, or distracted by cute, smart, nerdy…

            On Oct. 24, 2012, I attended the Texas Conference for Women at the Austin Convention Center with a few Latinitas members. It was an exciting event to attend because I learned much about Texas culture, politics, beliefs and women. It was interesting to take in what many of the nationally known speakers had to say about women in the workforce and their role in society. I liked that women were trying to encourage…

     Britney Spears is writing a novel. Yes, that's true. I am now torn in two because I am probably going to go peek at it as soon as it comes out. It is also most probable that I will read it at some point in my life just like I bought the last three cds that she released. There is no way I will ever be able to get rid of my obsession for the queen pop star…