Words from a great friend, who taught me to fight for what you want to achieve in life. It seems important to me to address all the young people of the community of Los Cerros, to motivate them to pursue their dreams, because nothing is impossible, the limit is imposed by yourselves.
It was only 10 years ago that I entered the Los Cerros Gymnasium. Believe me, until the middle of eleventh grade, I didn't have the slightest idea of what I wanted to achieve in my life. It was until that moment when I decided to go for music, an art that I have always admired in an unconscious way: I remember that the school gave me plenty of opportunities to grow in the artistic/musical field:
First, there was Mother's Day: a day that fills the soul with unthinkable emotions; on that day, an entire class unites to show, in different ways, the infinite value that our moms represent. I still remember that, on that day, what I most wanted to do was to sing a love song to my mom, which motivated me to present myself in front of the whole class to show what I most liked to do. As time went by, Mother's Day became routine and essential for me.
Second, the most anticipated event of each academic year, the Cultural Week, when events of all kinds, from sporting events to artistic events, are held. The activity I liked the most was the Silver Note: a music competition, where any student can perform as long as they have the desire and willingness to do so. This event turned out to be a great help in choosing music as an alternative in my life, which is why I signed up several times. I remember when I once sang "Noelia", a song by singer Nino Bravo: at the end of the performance, many people stood up to support me by applauding and shouting encouragement. Thanks to this, new doors opened at the school.
In the photo: Juan Pablo Patiño (left), with the orchestra Clásicas del Amor.
And then came the most incredible day I have ever experienced: after the Silver Note, the Los Cerros Gymnasium offered me the opportunity to sing at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the school, the Golden Jubilee. I literally went blank, I could not stop smiling that day, because, besides being an event of such high importance, I was going to sing for the first time at the Teatro Patria with the orchestra "Clásicas del amor". At that moment I was convinced and, in addition, I convinced my parents that my deepest dream was to make music. Today, I am finishing my third semester of music composition at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, defining more and more my goals and my dreams in order to, someday, make them come true. It is for this reason that I encourage all the young people of Los Cerros to pursue their dreams, in order to realize what you, and no one else, consider valuable. I am still in the process of pursuing my dreams, and I know that someday, with God's help, I will achieve them.
By Juan Pablo Patiño Torres, graduate class of 2015.
I share one of my latest achievements, a song that I composed, and it is titled "Te necesito" (I need you).
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