I didn't feel like Quiara really touched on her relationships with other students very much. She mentioned them in passing- -friends did not spend the night at her house- -but I don't recall her specifically mentioning "friends" in her memories (other than "the boy"). She seemed to insulate herself from others. She had her own interests: reading, studying SanterÍa, piano lessons, and she did these alone. Was this a reaction to something she felt from classmates? A way of protecting herself from teasing or bullying? It seems a magnet school in Philadelphia would have a pretty diverse student body, so I wonder if Quiara was really as unique as she thought she was.
I saw more of a reaction, like Marcia S did, when Quiara was studying at Yale. It does not sound like her music program included a wide range of musical styles. Quiara, who had been self-educating herself for years already, did so again here. So I want to say that her reaction to being dismissed or made to feel less than because her interests were so varied was to ignore the ridicule or weird looks and get busy learning what she wanted to know herself. She didn't depend on others to give her what she needed. I'm so grateful that there was one special educator who directed her to the fellowship program where she was able to expand her musical horizons. It was through this program that she met other Hispanic students when she cast them in her play.
Did her dad and step-mother's attitudes toward her Puerto Rican family cause Quiara to feel like everyone would look down on her for being who she was? Was she always anticipating to be rejected? If so, she certainly did not let these fears or feelings prevent her from getting the very most out of her personal experiences!