My Room / Mi cuarto, 2016

Katelee Cervantes

Katelee Cervantes’ bedroom reflects her warm and creative personality and expresses her passions and identity. The Frida Kahlo pictures, cat imagery, and lipsticks are symbols representing the happiness that art brings into her life. Cervantes considers herself to be a young, ambitious Chicana woman with goals and dreams. My Room / Mi Cuarto captures Cervantes in a contemplative mood as she looks at her reflection in the mirror, acknowledging who she is and who she is becoming. 

Katelee Cervantes, age 17

Maywood

Exchange Los Angeles

“My Room/Mi Cuarto”

My bedroom makes me feel warm, peaceful, and safe whenever I am in it. In this picture I was sitting at my desk which is placed at the corner of my room. In this photo, my kitty cat piggy bank shows my passion for cats, my Frida Kahlo pictures shows my admiration for her creative work and brilliant mind, the lipsticks on the counter represent my interest in makeup, and, lastly, the candle in the picture brings calmness and tranquility to my life. When I took this photo I was listening to music and thinking about what makes me happy, which is art. This image shows my positive and warm personality, seen in my reflection in the mirror. Therefore, this image captures my positive mood when I am in my room and the objects I surround myself with express my creativity.

My name is Katelee Cervantes, I am 17, and I am a senior at Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School. I was born in Lynwood, California. I grew up in South Central and I now live in Southeast Los Angeles. I am a young ambitious Chicana woman with big goals and dreams. I like that I am funny, confident, and a goalsetter who doesn't give up. My mother and my ancestors inspire me to have a successful future and persevere in life. One of my aspirations in life is to become a family physician for underserved communities.The words adventurous, persistent, sincere, and diligent describe who I am as a person. Some turning points in my life include growing up in a single-parent household, transitioning to a new neighborhood, accepting my new stepdad, and growing up in a community that is surrounded by drugs, violence, and incarceration. My interests include journal writing, playing volleyball, drawing, and photography. What I like best about photography its ability to capture moments in time.

Being in Las Fotos Project has been an experience like no other. I have build a strong bond with my mentor as well as with the other girls in the program. I have enjoyed being able to learn new photography skills and techniques through this program. In addition, Las Fotos Project has allowed me to get insight of what it’s like to live in a different country. Being able to interact with other girls that are several miles away has been extremely rewarding. Las Fotos Project Exchange has been of great value to me and allowed me to compare my life with the exchange girls from other countries.