Giuliana García Bueno will be majoring in International Relations at the London Metropolitan University in the fall, her second move to a new country during her high school years.

García Bueno arrived in the United States in October 2021 from Ecuador, post-pandemic, to escape the dangers resulting from the political changes in her country.

“The dictatorship in Ecuador ended after 14 years,” García Bueno said. “People were protesting, streets were closed, people were burning tires. People started stealing as the economy declined, and then it became dangerous.”

She said that she grew up with privilege in that her parents gave her the opportunity to go to the United States. According to García Bueno, in the United States she can feel safe walking around the mall, going to restaurants, and going out with her friends.

García Bueno said that apart from the food, what she misses most about Ecuador is the familiarity of the community.

“Here, it is more difficult to find people who are ‘warm,’” García Bueno said.

 At first, it was difficult adjusting to life in the United States, García Bueno said, and not because of the language, since her school in Ecuador was international, allowing her to learn basic English.

“A public school [in the United States] is very similar to a private school in Ecuador on an academic level, you learn similar things and have a similar academic plan,” García Bueno said.

García Bueno always thought that she was going to graduate with her classmates from Ecuador. She said that she had to start making an effort to make friends and socialize with people from MVHS, but now is very happy with her new group of friends.

She says that her friends in the United States are mostly Latino.

“It’s easier to make friends with Latinos themselves,” García Bueno said. “It’s easier to socialize, and they’re more open to making friends.”

Although it was difficult to adjust to the social differences in California, García Bueno says that she really enjoys going out and just being able to “pass the time.”

When she’s not in school or working as a barista at Peets Coffee, García Bueno’s hobbies are getting boba with her friends, walking in downtown Mountain View, and listening to music from her favorite artists like Bad Bunny.

García Bueno also enjoys dance at MVHS through Dance Spectrum.

“At first, I felt like I didn’t have enough skill to be there,” García Bueno said. “The truth is that it’s a community that is very supportive and accepting of people who don’t necessarily know how to dance, and over time, it helps everyone get along very well.”

Another program García Bueno is a part of at MVHS is ambassadors, and she said the program helped her feel welcomed into the community.

“It is an organization that focuses on making the school a community, and not just a school,” García Bueno said.

Now that García Bueno is about to graduate, she plans to study international relations in the near future, and ultimately wants to work for the United Nations.

She would like to work at the United Nations since she has always wanted to create change in the world, especially regarding national safety and security.

Since García Bueno says that she lived without security and feeling of safety in Ecuador, she would like to do something to change this for others.

“Global problems are like a chain,” García Bueno described. “If you only focus on fixing one part of the chain, all the rest cannot stay together and work properly. If you fix all the parts of the chain together, it starts working again.”

After graduating, the first thing García Bueno will do is visit Ecuador at the end of June to see friends and attend their graduation parties.

García Bueno said she is excited for the change when she moves to London for college.

“I like that London is a different kind of city, it is a good fit for me to study there, it is less expensive than a university here in the United States, and it is at a great academic levell,” García Bueno said.

When she finishes her degree in London, García Bueno wants to live somewhere other than the United States or Ecuador.

She said would like to explore the world, just like her mother, García Bueno said, mentioning that she would like to visit Greece or the Caribbean.

“I have always liked being able to see the world in a more global and unified way, than just taking it by country,” García Bueno said.

What García Bueno wants readers to understand about Ecuador is that it is a country “worth getting to know.”

“Ecuador is a very beautiful and very diverse country that has a lot to offer: food, culture, people, landscapes,” said García Bueno.

Leaving behind her family, her home, and everything that is familiar was a decision that was not easy, said García Bueno, and that others should also be proud to make for a better future.

“Coming to the United States as an immigrant, everyone has a very different story,” García Bueno said. “The simple fact of being here is already an achievement for many people.”