In a galaxy not so far away...
I was born in Guatemala and at the age of 5, moved to the United States with my parents and little sister. After 8 years of living there and knowing almost nowhere else, I moved back to Guatemala and began attending Colegio Maya.
Coming to Colegio Maya
On my first day of school, I remember walking into my first period spanish class and having the first thing I see be an asian boy speaking spanish; not a common sight in most places. In that moment all I could think was, “Where am I?”. Today, something like that is nothing out of the ordinary because over the years, this school has introduced me to so many eye-opening experiences that being close-minded is no longer an option. At the age of seventeen, I consider the last six years of my life at Maya to be a strange of combination of confusing yet steady academic growth, numerous ambitious endeavors, megatons of overthinking, and several cases of unexpected people who come and go but have taught me more than I bargained for.
Over the Years
I was promised good looks, straight A’s, a million girlfriends, and homework which I could do and still have time to spare. Instead I got puberty, tongue-tied conversations, the curse of procrastination, and the desire for a twenty fifth hour in the day. While living a movie-like story would seem exaggerated, creating one isn’t out of reach. Long before I got to Maya, I have had my sights set on creating a version of the world I believed in so much that I wanted to make it a reality. In other words, I wanted to travel into the further truths that ordinary holds to prove the world is visible from more than one angle. Colegio Maya, with regards to this, has been an outstanding platform in getting me to where I want to be.
SAMPLE #1: JOIN THE HURDLE
In the first semester of my senior year, I created a video titled, “#JoinTheHurdle” in an attempt to get the word out about the fundraiser our school does every year that helps sea turtles in the beaches of Guatemala.
SAMPLE #2: La Otra
In my junior year, as I tried to develop my use of filmmaking as a storytelling tool instead of just visual pleasure, I created a project for my AP Spanish Language and Culture class in which I adapted Jorge Luis Borges’ short story, “El Otro”, into my own version of the story in order to properly get the story's message across as it plays a huge role in modern day.
SAMPLE #3: The Fibonacci Sequence in Music
In my junior year, as I tried to develop my use of filmmaking as a storytelling tool instead of just visual pleasure, I created a project for my AP Spanish Language and Culture class in which I adapted Jorge Luis Borges’ short story, “El Otro”, into my own version of the story in order to properly get the story's message across as it plays a huge role in modern day.
On my free time.
Photography
"SHOW. DON'T TELL"
Cinema 101
During the first semester of my senior year, I was given the chance to take an internship here at maya to teach a cinema and filmmaking elective. It was by far the most ambitious thing I've done here at but definitely the one that taught me the most. What made it even more special was that I got to work with people I care about.
thank you
Class of 2016
THANK YOU
Friends
THANK YOU
Friends
THANK YOU
SIBLINGS
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
Parents
THANK YOU
Parents
Conclusion
The most valuable lesson I learned here at Colegio Maya is that if opportunity doesn’t come knocking then you have to build a door. I am not the kind of person that simply sits around waiting to something to happen but instead finds something to do and makes the best with what I have. While at times it is harder than I anticipate, I am a strong believer in having enough faith in myself to take a risk and make that which I want to achieve work out. This applies to school but also to the people and places that make me who I am.
What's next?
"LIFE MOVES PRETTY FAST. IF YOU DON'T STOP TO LOOK AROUND EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, YOU COULD MISS IT."
Senior Portfolio Presentation: Press Pause & Play
By Carlos Maldonado
