People of Inspiration


Leilani

Background and Description

My Sister's name is Leilani Delgado and she was born on November 1st, 2001 in Bakersfield, California. She is 5'4, has wavy hair, and has dark skin like my dad. She has a mix of both my dad's and mom's personality. This makes her the life of the party everywhere she goes.

My sister is hilarious, confident, and strong. She carries much joy and compassion with her everywhere she goes.

Her STORY

My sister was born to both of my parents when they were 21 and 23. She is the oldest of my siblings and is currently 24 years old. She was 5 when my brother, Caleb, was born, and 7 when I was born. Leilani grew up with the responsbility of being an older sister almost her entire life. From as long as I can remember, my sister always had a hilarious, outgoing, and strong personality. I always remembered her being the life of the party everywhere she went, whether it was a family gathering or just entering a room in our house. She carried that everywhere she went and it was alwasy inspiring.

As my sister grew up, she became a role model to me and my brother. Although she did not know at the time, her habits, her humor, and the way she talked definitely influenced my brother and I. We all have the same humor and use of slang, which makes joking around hilarious. Although as children we struggled to behave appropriately with one another, we now have a stronger relationship with one another. One that I am very grateful for.

After graduating from Bakersfield High School in Bakersfield, she focused on working as a caretaker before seeking the opportunity to pursuer a higher education in sports med. Right now she lives with my aunt in Bakersfield as my family lives in Sacramento. She lives far, but is living well growing as an adult with her own life. I am very proud of her.

Lessons, Takeaways, and Connection

My sister is inspiring in many ways, and probably ways she never thought she was to me.

One example being to be confident in yourself rather than being conformed to what everyone else wants. My sister always had a confident and goofy personality that did not bend to people's perception of her. Leilani's ability to do that allowed me to see that I can be the way I am without the fear of judgement or the pressure of pop culture. My sister showed me the freedom of living a life filled with joy and laughter without the pressure of the world.

Another example of a lesson I took from her would be guarding your heart. Although it's a common idea or lesson many people learn, it was an especially crucial lesson for her and I to learn as young women in highschool. Realistically, romance at a young age is a fairy tale and rarely a serious commitment. My sister's history, experience, and advice allowed me to protect my heart, my values, and beliefs in highschool as a young woman rather than compromising myself for a nice, but temporary and fleeting romance. I will always be grateful for her guidance and advice.

Quotes and Wisdom

  1. "It's the Delgado genes in us"
    • Although this quote isn't really inspiring or wisdom to hear, to me it is a sense and expression of pride of our heritage and culture. My Sister would say this a lot, and still does, whenever it comes to describing our facial features, characteristics, personality traits, or just heritage. Her saying this revealed the joy of having pride and gratitude towards our mexican heritage and culture.