Carina Villanueva, 9th, is quiet, timid, and nice.

“I am a very nice, friendly person,” Carina said.

Carina has items on her bucket list.

“I would like to open a business because I love selling things, build my dream house because I want to design it, and have a job because I want to be able to pay my bills,” Carina said.

The bravest thing that Carina has ever done was swimming away from a snake at Big Rock Lake in Missouri.

“I felt terrified, but I knew that I had to get away from it,” Carina said.

Family is important to Carina.

“They influenced me to work hard and that anything is possible,” Carina said.

The best advice Carina’s ever gotten was from her parents.

“They encouraged me to work hard because when you work hard you can accomplish what you want,” Carina said. “This was valuable because I have worked hard, and I have got what I wanted.”

Growing up with another sibling wasn’t easy for her.

“The biggest challenge in growing up in my family has been that there is only one bathroom in the house,” Carina said. “When it is school, my sister wants to use the bathroom also.”

Friends are important to Carina.

“I’ve known them since elementary school, and they know a lot about me,” Carina said.

Chelsey Herrera, 9th, first became friends with Carina in Kindergarten.

“I would describe Carina as a funny person, yet shy when you meet her, very nice to people,” Chelsey said. “My favorite memory was when we were in kindergarten and we used to do almost everything together and fall and laugh together, she was a really funny and nice person to be with. We would tell each other our secrets and we would have a lot of fun when we were small. It was just really happy memories when we were small.”

Profile written by Landen Thongthap