‘Star in the Sea’
Friends, family help freshman live up to name
By Sunny Leach, Staff Intern
Freshman Mayra Sanchez always seeks to live up to her name, which her parents told her means “Star in the Sea.”
“My parents wanted a word that meant marvelous, and that’s how I got the name I have today,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez has always been passionate about family and passed-down, informal traditions.
“I want to learn how to play (guitar) because three generations of my (have) family played it, and I would love to continue that,” Sanchez said. “It means a lot to me to be able to be a part of something so big to my family, yet so small to others at the same time.”
Being an only child, Sanchez has had a lot of time to connect with just herself and her family, with no others coming in between.
“We’ve lived in Coral Springs since I was about nine, and I love it there,” Sanchez said. “(My parents) have always been supportive and caring, and they do their absolute best to push me towards my goals. A good example would be school. They provide me with all the necessary tools that I need to succeed. My mom once told me that if I don’t love myself, how can anybody else? So, you can see how much of a role model she is to me.”
Her favorite hobbies are reading and writing,
“I’ve always loved romance books, writing, and trying new things,” Sanchez said. “For example, cooking is super exciting when I learn a new recipe, and going on trips teaches me new things while getting to experience stuff I never would have dreamed of doing before.”
One of Sanchez’ favorite memories is going to SeaWorld Camp in Orlando, getting to pet sharks and seeing the park from behind the scenes.
“We got to ride on roller coasters for free, which I loved because I’ve always loved the rush of going super-fast on rides,” Sanchez said. “We also got free food, which I’m sure everyone would agree is a huge plus. The time I had there was amazing, seeing all the wildlife up close was something I would want to relive again and again if possible.”
She loves to be outdoors, smelling fresh air on a nice sunny day.
“I love the ocean because it’s so relaxing, fun, and overall, a really nice place to hang out, especially since we live in Florida,” she said.
However, her school days never start when it’s sunny.
“I get up at 4:45 A.M., get ready, ride the bus to school, do work all day and then ride back home and do more work,” Sanchez said. “Then, finally, my favorite part of the day, I lay down in bed and sleep.”
So far, Sanchez feels somewhere between overwhelmed and excited at the start of her first year of high school.
“I thought high school was going to be very different,” Sanchez said. “This is nothing like the movies ….It’s a little nerve wracking since I don’t talk to some of the same people from middle school anymore, but I’m excited to be making more friends.”
Middle school for Sanchez wasn’t like the movies and sitcoms either.
“Towards the end of eighth grade, I started to feel like everybody hated me,” Sanchez said. “Though learning later that it wasn’t true, it still hurt to believe it. I wasn’t having the best time then, but I know now that I was wrong, and I have great friends who mean a lot to me.”
Still, Sanchez did experience some middle school success with the girls volleyball team, which hadn’t won a game since she was in elementary school.
“When we won that game, I felt so happy and proud of us,” Sanchez said. “Especially since my last hit on the ball played a huge part in our victory.”
Sanchez looks forward to continuing making friends in high school.
“My biggest challenge recently has been finding somewhere to sit at lunch on blue days, but my friends (from middle school) have helped with that, and we all find a place to sit together,” Sanchez said.
And she looks forward to making her mark on her new school
“I cannot wait to see what Pompano Beach High School has to offer,” Sanchez said.