Transcriber: Minh Trung Dang Reviewer: Leonardo Silva
A year ago, many of us were going to massive events
like concerts, sports,
going to the movies,
enjoying good food inside a nice restaurant,
and going to school.
A year ago,
my favorite superheroes were wearing a cape and a hammer,
had a suitcase suit or a shield made a vibranium.
(Spanish) I could never have imagined that, in March 2020,
things would drastically change.
A new visible villain known as Covid-19 had touched the world,
making the year 2020 known as unprecedented.
(Spanish) However, I remember the words of our superintendent, David Miyashiro:
“I want you to know that we love you very much.
For your safety,
we’ll be shutting schools down for a few weeks.”
(Laughter)
At first, I said, “Yes! Free school break!”
Little did I know that there was nothing fun about being in quarantine
and there was nothing fun about a global pandemic.
(Spanish) When I got home, my family and I watched the news.
Authorities had issued a “stay home” order.
Only essential workers were allowed to go back to work.
We personally experienced the frenzy at the stores,
of people overbuying toilet paper, water, food, and other essentials.
It was crazy!
My dad was asked to stay and work from home,
and our rooms quickly became our new office and classroom.
But it was not so easy for other people.
(Spanish) Many lost their jobs.
They couldn’t provide food for their families,
and their children had no way
of keeping up with their classes from home.
Many of them lost their homes or were infected with the virus.
As Covid cases were on the rise,
I started noticing new heroes emerging around me.
They were ordinary people, like you and me.
(Spanish) They didn’t wear a cape or a hammer.
They wore face masks, plastic gloves,
and they were armed with a big smile, compassion, and love for other people.
Starting with teachers,
who had no experience, quickly mastered using Zoom meetings,
and found new, fun ways to keep us engaged.
Overnight, they mastered many computer applications
and switched their own living rooms into new classrooms.
Suddenly, I saw myself taking virtual field trips around the world,
participating in our school video broadcast,
(Spanish) entirely in Spanish,
having guitar lessons virtually,
and learning computer science from celebrities
who donated their time to help kids learn coding.
(Spanish) With the help of our school’s principal,
we volunteered to distribute free food to families in need.
Heroes like grocery store employees,
who worked long hours to keep our community safe
and shelf-stock the food.
Small business owners
like my grandpa’s auto shop, or a friend’s restaurant, or a barber,
who had to get creative
and find new ways to serve their customers and keep their businesses open.
(Spanish) Heroes like parents who had to learn 4th-grade math
to help their kids with their school projects,
while also having to keep working from home.
And the greatest and most crucial heroes of all,
first responders, nurses, and doctors,
who continue to fight this pandemic,
many of them working tirelessly for long hours,
leaving their families on very important occasions -
like my aunt Brenda,
who worked nonstop at a Covid testing center,
or my uncle Ben,
who’s caring for people with mental health issues,
or my (Spanish) aunt Rita, who’s working long hours,
caring for patients after emergency surgeries.
As I walk the streets of our city of El Cajon,
I keep seeing new heroes wherever I go.
If something positive has come out of this pandemic,
it is the fact that it has changed ordinary people into incredible heroes.
(Spanish) The work of these heroes during the pandemic
has helped us to be closer to our family members,
and it has changed the way we live, work, and learn.
It has changed the way we celebrate life
and the way we mourn death.
It has changed the way we use technology to communicate with one another,
and the way we care for others.
But what have you learned during these very unprecedented times,
Which new heroes have touched your life?
These heroes have brought us closer together not only as a community,
but as a society.
If there is something we could tell our kids 20 years from now,
it’s that times like these teach you to appreciate life,
to hug your loved ones tight and be a hero in someone else’s life.
After all, we only live once.
(Spanish) Life is short.
Are you ready to go out, make a difference, and be a hero?
Come on, let’s do it.
(Applause) (Cheers)