As part of KCRW’s Love Letters to LA project, listeners have sent us paintings, voice memos, photographs, and handwritten notes. So far, we’ve received over 200 submissions.
Several of those were from students at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights. Ashley E., who requested we only use her first name for privacy concerns, wrote about what she loves best in LA. Then she spoke with KCRW producer Andrea Bautista.
The following letter has been edited for brevity.
Dear Los Angeles,
You gave my family a second chance to start over when we moved here 8 years ago. You give us a summer breeze that smells of carne asada, or the one that makes my hair go crazy. The palm trees that swing back and forth, almost looking like they are saying goodbye or hello.
The parties are in every corner, with the color lights flashing and the music blasting that sounds so close yet so far. The taco stands at every corner with the loud steam, bright light bulbs, and the chatter of the customers giving out their order.
The bright green parks that consist of so many children running around, falling and scraping their knees. The smell of grass and dirt that give us energy to reconnect with nature. The one where you can be free. LA, how wonderfully fun you can be.
The following interview transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Ashley: My name is Ashley E. I'm 17 years old, and I'm a senior here at Roosevelt High School. I've lived in LA for about eight to nine years. I moved here when I was in third grade.
The thing I like about living here in LA is that a lot more family members live in this area. And the street vendors, because I'm Mexican, so to me that's a really big thing. There's a taco stand near Food 4 Less around here, and it's usually in the weekends when I go with my sister. I really like the burritos de pastor with everything: with cilantro, onion, and beans and rice. I really like that place, especially because they know us since we always go.
Being a senior and graduating this year, I'm actually very scared to be on my own. I plan to go to a four-year college, and I want to major in psychology because I want to become a children's therapist.
My freshman year in high school, I struggled a lot mentally. I felt alone. Since COVID hit my seventh-grade year in middle school, I feel like I was so isolated for roughly two years. I felt more anxious, and I just felt alone because my mom worked and my sisters weren't really around. I was closed off from anyone at that point, and when I came back, I just felt so anxious to talk to anyone that I lost my social skills, so it was really hard to get out of that.
Since I know how it feels, I want to help those who also feel those dark moments as well.
I committed to UC Santa Barbara. I'm very sad because all my family's here and I'm very family-oriented. I know I'm gonna miss them over there, but I know I could always come back.
High school senior Ashley E. with her mom. Ashley will be attending the University of California, Santa Barbara this fall. Photo courtesy of Ashley E.