Charter definitely knows a thing or two about the Barrera’s. Now, they get to know one more as another sibling steps onto the grounds of PPCHS. 

  Rebekah Barrera, the youngest of the three and freshman at Pines Charter, has already experienced a lot, even if she’s still 14 years old. This doesn’t necessarily mean that she experienced all good things. 

  Growing up, she not only was the youngest sibling, but unfortunately didn’t have a sister, as well. “Even though [my brothers] taught me so much,” Rebekah said, “it still would have been fun if I had a sister.” Having two brothers was tough for her, but not impossible. It was easy for them two to get along with each other since they liked the same things. It was the opposite for Rebekah, especially since she didn’t have anything in common with them. With this, she was basically forced to learn to do things on her own at an early age, like preparing food or doing homework. 

  To make things worse, her brother, Marko, found entertainment in teasing her when they were little. From constantly stealing her toys to slapping her on her head for fun, this definitely didn’t make her childhood any better. 

  Even with these factors against her, she still did have a couple advantages over her siblings.

  Unlike Paolo and Marko, Rebekah is the only “Charter starter” in the family. She was lucky enough to be the first one in the family to be accepted in the system in Kindergarten. While she was already accepted, her brothers were still at low spots on the list, forcing them to stay at a tiny school in Davie. 

  After learning at PPCES Central for two years, Rebekah went through second grade with her “all-time favorite” teacher, Ms. Ortis. Everything was going very well as she was getting good grades and making many new friends. 

  This was until she noticed something wrong with her neck. There seemed to be a big bump sticking out, similar to an Adam’s apple. This was obviously unnatural, since most girls don’t usually get these. Rebekah decided to have the doctor check it out since it started to increase in size. After checking it out, it was confirmed to be a thyroglossal cyst, which can be described as an abnormal lump that is developed from leftover tissues and cells. For it to be removed, Rebekah would have to go through a surgery to take it out. 

  With any procedure, Rebekah’s parents were told that they cannot guarantee that the surgery would go perfect, but the doctors still reassured them. Her mom knew the risks and was able to have confidence in the surgeons. “I stayed hopeful and put all my faith into the doctors,” she said. “That’s all we could do in that situation.” 

  The surgery was less than an hour, yet it felt shorter for Rebekah because of the anesthesia that was given to her. It was successful.

  There were a few short term effects from the surgery. She felt very weak and drowsy. Moreover, the doctors recommended that she tried to avoid talking to allow her throat to heal. Rebekah recovered easily and got back to her normal routine soon enough,

  Rebekah was able to grow and mature after her middle school experience and is taking her freshman year on with stride. She has already begun to make her mark, winning the election and becoming the freshman class secretary. She is also taking Journalism 1 as an elective, with plans to follow in her siblings’ footsteps and write for the CHAT. 

  She may not have had the greatest past, but the future is truly looking bright for PPCHS’ newest Barrera.