A Decision to learn from

By Alondra R

Growing up everyone wanted to be independent and stop being bossed around by their parents, but Daisy Cardozo, a senior attending Yerba Buena High School, felt pressure from her parents, watching her every move which made her feel like she was squeezed into a box without an escape. Struggling with her parents had made an impact on her life and who she is. 

Her parents always demonstrated love for each other and loved her as well. Love was never an issue in her home and nothing would ever repay for what they had done for her. “I would tell them just thank you for being here, for not giving up on me,” she said.​​ Although when it came to comprehending her in things she wished they did, they wouldn’t. She wanted her parents to hug her and hear her out when she would express her issues rather than attempt to fix them. Looking for someone who comprehended her, she chose a different path which her parents weren’t so happy about.

Cardozo was the kid who didn’t own a phone until middle school unlike other kids her age. When she finally got one herself, she wasn’t told about online danger, and having friends that were so entertained by it not realizing it was bad, got her in the wrong path.  

Her parents were always behind her making sure she wasn’t doing things she wasn’t supposed to, such as drugs and hanging out with people who were a bad influence. When making new friends, they were telling her to do things online that she felt forced to do, causing her to betray the trust her parents had given her and when her mom found out, things went downhill. Besides getting in trouble for her actions with a simple argument, she had everything taken away from her. 

Needing someone to cry to or lean on during those hard times, Cardozo said she sought her younger sister: “She would take me out of that negative space and would just like have fun with me”. Having her sister gave her meaning towards those sad moments in her life, they would watch shows together, stopping in between to podcast about it before the plot twist.

“I’m trying to like, help her, give her that opportunity to have someone to lean on, have someone to talk to, have someone to cry to,” she said. Cardozo other than having younger siblings, was the oldest who has lived those experiences first and wouldn’t want them to go through it as well. She was now the role model for them, showing them what is good and bad.

Cardozo doesn’t always seek her sister for comfort but rather does something she enjoys, cooking. She would like to help others in the future by feeding the homeless, she says. Cooking is a passion of hers due to having all the power in the kitchen, she gets to have control and clears her mind in the process. She enjoys having music in the background and doesn’t like to be bothered. Although that aftertaste of the food is her favorite part like when she helped make enchiladas, this year she is excited about the making of tamales this Christmas Eve.

“Also maybe open up my own place, like a restaurant or something, I like baking too, you know, there are pastries and also like if they want a main meal, I can start making like dishes and stuff like that” she says. Having that hope to be a chef and own a restaurant one day, gives her something to hold on to, motivation.