I remember loving to immerse myself in the world of literature. Novels, each so different, have felt like a place where I can belong. There are certain stories that have stuck with me, ones that I have identified with. Further down the road, I’ve realized that as a young Mexican-American queer boy, there might be disadvantages that have been placed against me, solely because of my identity. Representation was rare growing up; most of the stories I read were based around white protagonists and their lives. Even if more queer stories are written now, many of them are still based around White queer people and while some may say that we should be grateful for any representation we get- I disagree. If we can do better, we should. Intersectionality is crucial when it comes to queer issues and in a day and age where politicians are actively spewing queerphobic rhetoric, it's time to make a difference. My writing which stemmed from my love of reading and my queer identity intertwined to make my works full of social commentary. I try my best to reflect characters that reflect the queer community intersectionality and all when it comes to my fiction. Not only do I write fiction, I write poetry as well. My poetry is deep and personal, mostly connected to me. Both my fiction and poetry are deeply personal to me, even if they happen to touch different topics. I am also one of the founders of a school club named I AM, which focuses on equity and bullying prevention. Shake Shack has promoted two of our events, one school-wide and another at an Open House; both events had food provided. I consider myself quite the political person. I read the news everyday and lean heavily left. As a first generation dual credit student, who is grateful for his parent’s struggles, I am very staunch on immigrant rights, the fight against censorship- specifically towards banned books- and queer and racial rights. Today, we see many hateful politicians and policies with a strong conservative lean target diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Black and Brown queer kids face a lot of hatred because of these harmful policies implemented, and immigrants who are simply trying to find a better living for themselves and the future generations. My hope is that my works can reach out to Brown/Hispanic queer people and other queer people of color, a work that truly resonates with them.

I remember learning I had NF from a very young age. I remember seeing my cafe au lait spots from an even younger age. I wondered what they were and just shrugged them off as “birthmarks” for the longest time. I can only imagine how tough it was on my parents, seeing as I did not inherit neurofibromatosis, but by mutations in my genes. Throughout my life, I’ve never met someone else with NF1 and yet this scholarship allows students with NF1 the opportunity to further their studies. Not only that, it gives scholars the opportunity to broaden their horizons. After 17 years of living with neurofibromatosis, I’ve grown to love myself and appreciate the unique experiences that my condition brings me. Stemming from my love of reading and learning from differing experiences, I was able to evolve as a writer. Being able to create characters with distinctive experiences brings me so much joy as I am able to see myself being represented through them. My current work focuses on a society where white supremacy is rampant and how people often contribute to white supremacy, whether it be intentional or unintentional. However, I also make it clear that there is hope. Hope can be found everywhere, even in societies such as that of Oceania or Panem. There are times when an individual feels like they are alone, especially if they are in a community where they are often underrepresented. As a founder of I AM, a school organization that promotes equity, my love for writing grew. My goal as a creative writer is to showcase how people who are not visible in the mainstream often stand against prejudices. I hope to grow as a writer and as a person as time continues. NF1 only makes up part of my identity and as a young gay person, I write not only because I love it but because I want to make a difference when it comes to other’s reading experiences. I plan to major in English at the University of North Texas. I also plan to interact with others who have similar experiences as me and participate in clubs such as the LatinX/Hispanic Student Union. Later on, I would like to eventually publish my current work and get started on other works, one of which touches on the Latino community. If awarded the Dylan’s Journey Memorial Scholarship, it would greatly assist me in pursuing my creative writing education and as a person with NF1, honor Dylan’s memory by proving that individuals with NF1 can propel their education and live a life full of passion.