Emil Ayala, grade 11, attends North Augusta High School, and seems as though he is much like all of the other students. However, his story might sound incredibly different from yours.
Ayalya’s birth and development show us his tenacity and strength when overcoming challenges. He was born in a small hospital in the region of Ponce, Puerto Rico. His birth was an interesting one, as there were medical complications with his breathing involved. With the doctor’s quick response and Emil’s resilience, he was eventually able to breathe. He was lucky to survive.
As he further aged, he made great use of his quickness and intelligence. He excelled within his education and found his schoolwork to be the perfect mix of comfort and challenge. But his life wasn’t always that easy; his parents were very young when he was born, and neither of them had graduated from college yet. This caused difficulties with their economic situation, forcing them to have to move between houses to survive as they were. Ayala says, however, that his faith always found a way to lead him and his family out of harsh situations. In addition, he says his parents worked extremely hard, with his dad fulfilling his athletic dreams and graduating with a degree in education, and his mom graduating with a forensic psychology degree. They raised their children with the same ‘push forth no matter how hard’ attitude.
Ayala and his family later moved to the United States, making his life more complicated. When they arrived in 2013, it was his first time ever visiting a new country, and now he would be living there. His first few months in the United States consisted of exploring the city in which his family lived, meeting his fellow church members, and visiting his cousins. When school started, though, it was a difficult adjustment. The language barrier sometimes led to communication issues, but he thanks his teacher for helping him ease into the new school year. He managed to pass his first year of American schooling, but with a lower average than he had before, upsetting him, since school had come so easily for him back in Puerto Rico. The transition was hard for him and his sister, but eventually, they overcame. During Ayala’s fifth grade school year, he better understood the English language and managed to improve his yearly average, while communicating with his peers and making new friends.
Middle school was also a period of growth for Ayala; he began expanding his knowledge even more and started joining extracurricular activities, such as choir and band. He even started a fundraiser to help his former Puerto Rican community after Hurricane Maria devastated their infrastructure and their access to necessities. He has continued to further grown as a person, joining more clubs, like wresting, track, and marching band, and he even helped found the Student 2 Student club offered at our school.
Ayala has discovered and been inspired from his past, learning to not take things for granted, taking advantage of opportunities that arise, and always looking at situations from different perspectives. He’s incredibly thankful for the blessings given his parents and siblings, and although his life hasn’t been easy, he would never change a thing about it. It’s his life story that taught him to be who he is today—a revolutionary individual who makes the best of his situations.
Photo Credit: Ayala Family
Ayala Family Selfie.
Pictured from left to right: Mariely Cosme (mother), Abiel A. Ayala (younger brother), Anagabriela Ayala (older sister), Emil G. Ayala, Abimael Ayala (father)
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