This picture was taken in Mexico, the last day I spent in Mexico before I left. I woke up very early with my family to watch the sunrise, which was beautiful.

My name is Jillian De La Cruz.

My preferred pronouns are she/her. I am from Yorba Linda, California. I love to read, watercolor, watch movies/shows, hang out with my friends, and travel. My grades motivate me to do well in school; I check my grades in almost every class. Doing well in golf is also a priority; I would like to get a college scholarship in golf.

In November 2021, my family and I went to Mexico with our close family friends. We got to skip school a week before Thanksgiving break. We flew into Mexico on Tuesday morning and got settled in. The next day we met up and went to the suite we shared. We had an amazingly fun week with them in Mexico and enjoyed every second of it. The lesson I learned from this trip is to enjoy it and be grateful for it because you never know how long it’ll be before you go there again.