Yesica Balderrama

(Radio Rookie in 2005)

I remember the days, back when I was still small, I would wake up to the sound of a rooster crowing at the crack of dawn. I'd get up and run outside to see the sun stretching out beneath an orange haze. My life has changed and it is not the same since I have moved to New York City, Queens. I now wake up to the sound of car alarms and construction workers... not exactly at the crack of dawn. After many years of mishaps learning English, I now attend William Cullen Bryant High School. I am 15 years old and I like anything that uses my hands and imagination. I have a little brother and a little sister. I live with them and my parents. Someday in the future I hope to have a job that includes helping and teaching kids of many ages.

Interesting Fact: I collect random stuff. I have this box in my closet that has various items such as half a Pepsi bottle cap, an old Beatles record, a few sparkly marbles, and a childhood yo-yo.

Yesica Balderrama appears in the following:

One Immigrant's Anxiety in Trump's America

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

The Trump Administration's policies have taken a deep psychological toll on undocumented immigrants. Like this 26-year-old, former Radio Rookie whose been in the U.S. since she was five.

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Making Decisions When Not Everyone in Your Family Is a Citizen

Thursday, March 02, 2017

Sisters Sonia and Sara Martinez and their friend Yesica Balderrama talk about how they and their immigrant families have felt and reacted to President Trump's immigration policies.

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Yankees? Baseball? What?

Friday, May 29, 2009

I’d sometimes sit at home on my bed during a humid muggy Sunday afternoon flipping through channels. I’d land on a baseball game. Little figures would run across the screen throwing a ball around, running from one base to another, a ball went high in the air, the crowed screamed, what did this mean? What’s the significance of this? I’d grow tired of watching and turn off the TV.

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One Teen's Take on Texting

Friday, May 29, 2009

Last week there was an article in the New York Times about the negative impact texting is having on teenagers. This article seems to me to be an exaggeration. I don’t think texting is as serious an issue as it is made to seem here.

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Recent Photos

Thursday, May 07, 2009

We're halfway through our current workshop in the Bronx, at the Next Generation Center. Here's some photos of the Rookies at work.

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Recording Equipment

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

During my workshop in the fall of 2004, we got microphones I thought resembled giant lollipops. I was always afraid I'd stick its head near the interviewee's mouth too fast and vigorously causing a bruised lip or a chipped tooth. I'd have to plead for mercy in an emergency room amidst wailing ambulance sirens and explain that I was only trying to complete an assignment for my radio workshop. Thankfully, this never happened.

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Touring the Neighborhood

Saturday, March 07, 2009

As the new Rookies intern (and former Rookie myself) I had the pleasure of accompanying AJ, Keith and Courtney for a small tour of the neighborhood. We walked down 172nd street away from the elevated 5 & 2 train lines in search of possible interviewees.

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The Internet Bug

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Like a lot of teenagers, Yesica has spent hours and hours online, mostly chatting to her friends, some of whom lived only blocks away.

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