A Promising Journey

By Alessia Vu

Life was not always easy going for Ramon Quirarte, a Yerba Buena High School student who has experienced tons of challenges in school or something even personal. But with a spark, his life became brighter. With the help of his supportive friends, encouraging family, and the joyful music he listens to, his journey would not be so terrible. Slowly, his troubles would disappear.

Being raised and born in San Jose, Quirarte had faced school pressure which oftentimes, became a difficult challenge for himself. “I wouldn’t be able to get sleep because I was always up during missed assignments,” he said. 

Stressed, he felt distraught as it continuously kept going on and on. However, discovering music was a big change for him.

Music became a source of inspiration for Quirarte, giving him a sense of ease such as easily relaxing his mind and taking away the tedious thoughts. While music could help him relax his emotions, it also enlarged his knowledge on different types of genre of music. A few of his specific artists he listens to are Ice Cube and Chicago. In fact, a song that he resonated with was “If You Leave Me Now” by Chicago. 

Continuing on his journey, another struggle had risen as the death of his great grandma brought tremendous bereavement to him. As a result, Quirarte said he was extremely upset and didn’t want to leave his room, he would stay in his bed. Thankfully, a friend of his would drag him out to Santa Cruz; it brought him joy and comfort. 

Usually when he’s upset or stressed, he said his friends would call, visit, or hangout to positively support him: “My sadness and stress would leave and be filled or replaced by joy and happiness.”

If anything, one of the people who influenced his life the most would be his friends.

Besides his friends inspiring his life, Quirarte also says his family. A moment was when he entered a robotic competition, his family cheered him on and threw in some encouraging words to push Quirarte to feel motivated to try harder. In the end, he proudly won first place, making his efforts worthwhile and rewarding at the same time.

Another memorable moment was the unforgettable memories Quirarte made at Disneyland with his family. To him, the most enjoyable part was going on rides with his sisters and parents as one of the rides that was most fun for him was Space Mountain: “Space Mountain, it looked cool. The dark effect with the star looking lights made it more enjoyable. Hearing my family screams made it funny and enjoyable.”

Quirarte’s ongoing journey continues to go on a positive path with his family and friends as they made it possible for him to never give up. Influenced to keep up his grades on a stable level and be a hard worker, he now feels more confident given the support he’s received. It lives on to be a beautiful blooming sunflower.