Sometimes God doesn’t give you what you want. He gives you what you need. Trials and tribulations, you later realize, are blessings. One such blessing – the ability to speak two languages at varying levels of confidence- unites me with so many of my readers. In a deep breath, I reflect -my life has been -linguistically fluid. In my mind, I see all my readers. Smiling, waving at me. Publications that I contribute to are the heartbeat of our neighborhoods — like the  smell of sofrito and casas that start their day before the sun rises with ‘cafesito and una oracion de Dios.’ Readers with souls full of music and pain. Every time I write, It’s centered around one girl — a version of my inner child — Una “Nena”. In her life, our papers are the most relevant and most identified affirming publication she has. She struggles to access digital material outside of school. She has a sharp tongue, too impulsive, a dreamer’s spirit in a gray town and in when she grabs our paper, and she sees herself in the stories. She’s less than ten but she knows she’s bigger than her hometown and her dreams stretch further than the highways that isolate her. It’s all for her – really. I know she’s out there. If you know that little girl lift her up. If you are her grandmother, or if you are mother, or if you know a little girl (inside yourself) or in your community. Give her our paper. It’s a gift to give someone a reason to dream. I described that girl to Marisol when we first zoomed- she just smiled- she knew. I knew God sent Marisol to my life. Marisol was waiting for me, before I met her. Her path aligned with mine as she also is a bright thinker, empathetic, a leader. A graduate of SUNY Empire State College’s – like me, a fighter- like me. Marisol’s spirit was created to light the torches of other women’s intellect across the world. 1,400 miles away from her homeland of Puerto Rico there is something wild about her refinement almost exotic about her deliberateness in speech. She is a woman with many different chapters inside her writer’s soul. All those chapters led up to the creation of the most humble and significant Puerto Rican literary minds in the state. Marisol- (the version of her I love the most- Marisol my editor). The lead chief editor of CNY Latino publication with a circulation of 6,000 papers, she is the leading lady of public opinion for one of the fastest-growing Latino communities in our state. Love independent papers, advertise in them, submit to them, blog about them, just love them.  And know, when you talk papers in New York State, la Reina de todo esto es Marisol Hernandez, Senior Editor, and a great role model and mentor  for our young generation. THE INTERVIEW   Where were you raised, what were the values taught in your home? I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. When I was 12 years old, we moved to the tiny island of Vieques. That is when my parents divorced. I am the middle child of seven. For us, family comes first, even now as adults and living in different countries/states, my siblings and I are very close. Faith has always been a strong value in my family but also integrity, honesty, and humility. One thing that I also learn growing up is to have fun, enjoy life, and help others. When we were struggling, I remember my mother saying “has bien y no mires a quien, las cosas se hacen bien o no se hacen and mañana será otro día”. With that said, we as a family pray for others which is a habit, I have included in my daily prayer ritual.   What was your experience as a student?  My first experience in kindergarten was not good and I struggled in school. I didn’t learn how to read and write until 3rd grade. I remember hearing my mom say “pobrecita Marisol, déjala tranquila, ella no puede dar más”. That made me feel bad about myself and my own abilities to do things. I was one of those students that pass thru school under the radar. I finished high school with low grades and entered college on a special program at the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico. When I move to the Bronx in 1984, I met my aunt’s “Comadre”. As the manager of a women’s clothing store, she hired me to do inventory, merchandise pricing, and to keep an eye on thieves. I didn’t know any English and I already had 2 years of college in Puerto Rico that was when I realized that if I didn’t learn English, I was not going to be successful in New York. She encouraged me to get back into college, I enrolled in Eugenio María de Hostos Community College and within a year, I was fully bilingual. I worked very hard every day that year, but it felt very empowering to make the honors roll. My outlook about the school, myself, and my own abilities changed forever at that moment. I realized that I could make things happen, that I can do anything I put my mind to do. In 1999, I completed my bachelor’s degree from Empire State College, State University of New York Auburn, New York’s branch with a degree in Human and Community Services and a concentration in Child and Family Studies. It took me 18 years on and off from college to finish my bachelor’s degree, but I feel very proud of the things I accomplish at work and for my community all those years while pursuing my education.   When did you start working and what was your first or favorite job? My first job was babysitting my neighbor’s daughter and cleaning my boyfriend’s bosses’ house, feeding their cats, etc. I was just 16 years old, with