When Aimee-Nicole Torres was returning from an eight-hour trip all she wanted was sleep, yet she couldn’t bring herself to do so as she looked out the window and saw a mysterious strike of red and blue light that sparked the entire sky for her. These luminous flashes of light were stars that later would become the reason for her passion towards space.

 

“The concept of an outer-world beyond our true knowledge is captivating to me,” Torres said. “The fact that the mystery will never end is amazing to me; I can be 108 years old and still have the desire to lay under the stars.”

 

For Torres the darkness in the sky holds the chilliest feeling, and the realization that we are not the only planet with living necessities is fascinating as well as terrifying. The depth of secrets held in the universe can make a person want to run and hide.

 

“As much as I love space and all it comes with, it still spooks me knowing I will never truly know what lies ahead,” Torres said, “or if there even is an ‘ahead’ to go and search for. The whole thing is crazy, like ‘oh yeah, hey there’s a black hole near the 20^th planet.’”

Torres was a rare child; she chose books that depicted the various concepts of space, rather than playing freeze tag alongside children like most kids do.

 

“When I was younger, I used to always only check out books depicting space, the ugly creatures found, and aliens, “Torres said. “I was the geekiest child. Add a fresh pair of glasses and short hair; I was not exactly your ‘it girl,’ but my weirdness only helped me connect with what I read.”

 

The placid moments people struggle to seek, Aimee-Nicole can find by simply staring up into the sky and relaxing. She hopes one day to be able to visit the N.A.S.A base. She plans on being an astronomer to help others understand what truly is going on in space.

Being told she was creative the majority of her life, Lidia Rios, turned her extra time into a new hobby; fashion. She started off making dolls, which turned into making clothes for the dolls, until she finally started making clothes for herself.

 

“I saw a lot of videos and was like ‘you know what, I can do this,” Rios said. “I’ve made about five skirts but out of all of them I honestly only like two.”

 

Even though she does not really like many of the clothes she makes, she admits she wants to make her own prom dress this year, so she is often found wearing articles of clothing she has made. Since her style is more old school she is easier to find in a crowd.

 

“I think she takes off the things she’s interested in,” Stephanie Cornejo, 12, said. “A lot of people complement her on her wardrobe.”

 

Her friends are very supportive of her and her work. People have asked her if she can make them clothes and have even offered to pay her for clothes. All times she has denied their request, because she plans on keeping it as a hobby and not turning it into a business anytime soon.

 

“I don’t see myself doing it,” Rios said. “It’s just a pass time; I think it’s cool but I honestly don’t see myself making a career out if it.”

 

Rios does often think about having it as a career but she claims it is not the thing for her. She still does not know what career choice to make but she is leaning towards other interests.