Rafael

“Since I was young, I’ve always liked to be around older people, to listen to my elders and learn from them. When I was a 4-year-old boy in Mexico, my Uncle Manuel taught me to draw. He said, ‘I’m going to teach you just once. That’s it. You’d better pay attention.’ He grabbed a piece of paper and my crayons and did a drawing of a volcano. I was so impressed. The ceiling light was very dim in our house, but I remember the details of the drawing and how beautiful it was, even though it was not on quality paper and my crayons were the cheapest kind. In that moment, I decided to become an artist. When I was 8 years old, this same uncle baked a lemon meringue cake right before my eyes with just the things he found in our kitchen. He took lemons off the tree in our backyard and used only his hands to make this cake. No mixer, no appliances. He did it in a very precise way, showing me how to get the butter to the right temperature and how to work it into the flour. He said, ‘Pay attention to every detail. That’s how you will be the best.’ In many ways, I have tried to replicate his life; he has had such an influence on me. I think he is the reason I care so much about education.
 
“Life is about learning, and you can learn something from every single person. All your experiences go into making you who you are; money and possessions may not last, but your experiences will go with you. I'm interested in so many things. I’m pastry chef at the Crescent Club, a writer, a reporter, and a political cartoonist for La Prensa Latina, a portrait painter, photographer, filmmaker, part of the Quetzcoatl Aztec dance group, and I’ve done acting with Cazateatro.  I know I will die one day, but before that I’m going to learn all I can and enjoy life to the fullest.”

Rafael Figueroa

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