Introduction: Alyssa Mae Marquez

Hello, my name is Alyssa Mae Marquez. I am 18 years of age and I am a freshman student majoring in Chemistry (Pre-Med). I am from Reno, Nevada but I was born in Baguio City, Philippines and I lived there for 12 years. I work at Walmart as a cashier. I have two siblings, one sister and one brother, and they are both older than me with five years and eight years of age gap. I also have two nieces from my sister. A 5-year old and a 2- year old. People have always mistaken me as the mother of my nieces. Maybe because I look older than my sister or it's just the fact that I'm taller than her.
I was only 7 years old when my mom decided to go to America to sustain us, her children with a better life. Within five years of waiting, she finally got us here with the help of my stepdad too. Everything was new for me the first time I stepped my foot into this country; the environment, the weather, and the people. In case you are wondering, just like what others used to ask me before, yes, we do have an English subject in the Philippines. I was taught how to write, spell, and speak in English in the Philippines because it is the universal language and everyone needs to know it. However, I am not as good in English as I am in Math and Science. I could write well in English, but I am always shy to speak the language because I'm worried that I would pronounce words wrong or would have an accent and just embarrass myself in front of others. My favorite subject is Math. I really like solving numbers and equations. I took my very last Math class last semester, Math 182, and this semester just seem to be incomplete without a Math class.
Another fact about me is that I am a worship leader at our church; I sing and play the piano at the same time and sometimes someone would play the piano for me while I sing. I really enjoy listening to Praise and Worship music. My favorite bands are Hillsong and Planetshakers, and my favorite singers are Kim Walker, Darlene Zschech, and Kari Jobe.  Even though I have an accent in speaking in English, I never had an accent when singing English songs, and maybe that's why I gained a little confidence in singing in front of many people at church. I took piano lessons when I was a freshman in high school and stopped going to them because I took hard Honors and AP classes from sophomore year to senior year. I have also played the drums a couple years ago, but now I don't have time to practice because of work and school.
And since we are working with food this semester, I would like to share the fact that we, Filipinos, love to eat with our bare hands, especially when the food is really delicious. I have added some of my favorite food on my moodboard below. Barbecue in a stick, egg rolls, and any kind of Filipino dessert are the best.