Alvarez, 19, has lived in East Elmhurst, Queens her entire life. The half-Chinese, half-Peruvian Brooklyn college student hopes to use her love of gaming and writing and fuse the two into a focused career path. “When I play video games I get a rush out of it,” Alvarez said “I'd rather be playing a video game than doing what other people my age are doing.” She hopes to write for magazines where she can report on the releases of games and new systems.
Alvarez was raised by her grandmother her entire life. She was the only one of her five brothers and sisters to have this option “My family is kind of crazy and dysfunctional,” Alvarez said “we’ve had a lot of personal family conflicts.” Her father has had trouble with alcoholism and this is the main reason why she was raised by her grandmother. She is very family oriented with her siblings, especially her older sisters.
She feels her parents cut ties a long time ago. “I never saw my mother as a mother figure,” Alvarez said “and my dad, I am not close to him at all.” Her family is well known in their neighborhood due to her father’s troubles; she was picked on as a child because of her family’s problems. Her rough childhood has given her a tough and strong personality. She has pushed herself to graduate from Hillcrest High School in Queens, to play on their soccer team and was a vital part of the high school newspaper.
She is the first one of her family to attend college, and will most likely be the first to graduate. “I'm happy that I'm the first,” Alvarez said “It makes you feel important, and special.”
Her older sister Janet Baceols is optimistic for her sister’s future. “I try to encourage her to finish school because she would be the first in our family,” Baceols said “I want her to have to have better and more than we had as kids.”
Her sister Cynthia Alvarez who is also older than Angela feels the same way. “In a way I’m partially responsible for her being in college, because I’ve always encouraged her to reach for her dreams,” Cynthia Alvarez said “but it is her drive that got her there.”
Alvarez sits in the news lab tapping her pen on the desk, but she is very calm. She is dressed in a white sweatshirt with blue jeans on and white sneakers. She constantly smiles with each answer exposing her confidence, and jokes constantly revealing her composure.
Alvarez has a clear notion of what she wants to do. “I want to write for Electronic Gaming Monthly or Game Informer,” Alvarez said, smiling. These two magazines are the leading video game publication in the country. Her dream beat would be to cover important gaming show expos such as E3 that is hosted by Japan annually. She also hopes to cover new system launchings such as Playstation 3’s unveiling upcoming in November.
Her family sees her success in her future career path with mixed emotions. Her grandma who raised her entire life feels it’s not a good choice. “My grandmother is traditional, and we clash with ideas,” Alvarez said “she wants me to be a nurse or a teacher.” Her grandmother’s wishes for her a different career path is because of money problems she feels Angela will have in her chosen career path. “I'm upset that what I want to do in life is not what my grandmother is expecting,” Alvarez said “but I'm trying to live my life the way I want.”
Her sister Janet on the other hand has nothing but support for her choice, “I think she will [succeed] because she seems to have a passion for it and that’s important when having a career vs. just a job.”
Alvarez’s inspirations in her career choice would be primarily her high school journalism teacher Robin Lauzon. “She pushed me every year,” Alvarez said. Angela worked hard on the high school publication, and in her senior year her hard work paid off. She became editor-in-chief of the newspaper. “I never imagined in my life that I would be editor-in-chief of my high school paper,” Alvarez said “I was excited and felt important, I learned so much that year.”
While there are mixed feelings about her career choice, Alvarez feels that her family supports her in achieving her college degree. “I try to encourage her to finish school,” Baceols said “I want for her what I want for my own children.”
Many people today choose what will bring them the most money. “I know the most will be making is around 40 to 50 thousand a year,” Alvarez said. She says even if video gaming reporting falls through, she would even work with any woman’s magazine. She is attracted to what she loves, and her career choice is nothing different. She should be admired because she is chasing her dream, and not settling for the money.
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