"Her name will be Elizabeth" were the words of my father after several hours of compilation. Eager to state suggestions Danilo replied "How about Tiffany?" He was obsessed with the 80's pop star "Tiffany;" he believed that the name was suitable for any female. After a few more hours, the name was official. Tiffany Elizabeth Fernandez awoke to the noisy world on August 10, 1989 in New York City.

I always found myself to be a rebellious child. My parents were known for being the typical traditional Hispanic family which generally meant they were extremely strict. Gender roles had a huge impact on the way I came out to be. My parents always found themselves pressuring me to obey to their rules. The phrases "don't do this" "don't do that" or "that's not lady like" were all they always repeated. My mother took it upon herself to teach me the "lady-like" activities which included cleaning, cooking and such. Was I supposed to obey this? And create myself into a house-wife? Well obviously, no, I was not going to allow my mother to do this. To reject their teachings meant disrespect but it was through this constant cramping that caused me to push this all away. As years developed the more I wanted to become independent. This "traditional" lifestyle was not made for me. I see myself as a radical equation to the simple math equation that my parents feed to me.

Being the last sibling, from two older brothers, the pressure of completing college was heavily laid on me. None of my brothers or family members entered college nevertheless completed it. Now at the age of 18, I am a freshman in Ithaca College. At the moment I am an exploratory student. Hopefully with this upcoming semester I would be able to choose which major fits me.