Hometown: Bogota, Colombia

What’s one aspect of your culture or country you’d like Americans to know?

I’m not related to Pablo Escobar and I’m not Mexican. Not all South Americans are Mexican. Americans think everything below the U.S. is Mexico. Oh, and Spain. You think Spain is Mexico too.

What is your favorite food?

Ajaico—when my grandmother makes it. My grandpa likes to eat at noon, and if it’s not ready at 12:01, he’s already mad. I like to sleep late and when I stay at their house, the smell of the soup would wake me. My grandma makes the best ajaico. It’s the effort and love she puts into it. It’s a grandma thing.

What was the hardest thing about studying abroad?

All the new responsibilities. If you want to look good, you have to do stuff. At home everything is ironed…you just have to take out the shirts and wear them. One of my friend’s fathers told him when he started boarding, “Now you’re going to have to learn the magic of the clothes.”