Esther's Blog

Hey there,

My name is Esther L. Santana. I am 17 years old. My first language is Spanish. I was born in St. Croix, the Virgin Islands, and raised in the Dominican Republic for 11 years. At the age of 11 years old, I traveled back to St. Croix and lived there until October 1st, 2017. After Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island and destroyed my house while my family and I were there, my mom decided to send me from St. Croix to Miami, then to Boston, so that I could finish high school. I graduated from Brighton High School this year and will be joining the Air Force after this summer.

Today, I got the opportunity to go to Georges Island and introduce myself to the staff and the kids that I'll be working with this summer. As a group, we told the kids the story of how Save the Harbor/Save the Bay transformed South Boston beaches into the cleanest urban beaches in America. Also, I got the chance to get familiar with my surroundings.

First, I would like to give thanks to my Senior Career Specialist for encouraging me to get a summer job. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay has impacted me both emotionally and physically. It's not only teaching me new things that I've never get to experience before, but it is also reviving me on what it feels like to be at home (Virgin Islands). I just love the beach and the breeze, but mostly the fact that it's on an island where I have the honor to work with kids and staff that are just amazing. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a job that has a diverse group of staff. Despite where people are from or the accent they may have, they are all treated equally. As the week passes, I'm becoming more confident with myself and with my accent because since the very first day I've been a little shy about it. I can't wait to see all the fun things that I'll be doing in this summer job.

Until next time,
Esther