Humans of Saint Martin's: Bryza Samayoa

I was born on January 5, 2003, in Georgia. My parents took me back to Guatemala that same year when I was still a baby and raised me there. After losing both of my parents in 2015, my older sister had to take care of me and my siblings when she was only 19 years old. After my dad passed away, my older sister assumed his position in politics in Guatemala. She started having problems and receiving threats due to political unrest/opposition in the country. For our safety, my older sister made the decision for herself and a few of my siblings to move to the U.S. in 2016. Coming to the U.S. was like being introduced to a whole new world. I took English classes in Guatemala, but even then, I wasn’t comfortable with the language. Over the years, I’ve been trying to get better at English because I struggle when it comes to communication. I feel like I’m not 100% comfortable with English yet, but I’m getting there. On March 15, 2019, during my sophomore year of high school here in the U.S., I received news that one of my sisters who stayed back in Guatemala passed away in a car accident. This took a huge toll on me because I wasn’t allowed to just go back to Guatemala. Losing my sister shortly after losing my parents and not being able to see her made a huge impact on me. I am still coping with this, but I can honestly say that despite all of the struggle, I am still blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love me. My family, particularly my older sister (who is like my second mom), boyfriend, and friends are my support system. If the question is what defines me, well, the answer is all the challenges that I’ve gone through since I was 12. Ever since arriving in the U.S., I’ve been working hard to get an education, and I feel like I’m really proud of who I’ve become. My main goals now are to graduate college and be a good role model to my two younger siblings. I want to be the person who pushes them to do better and become good people.