For this assignment, I was able to interview one of my classmates to know more about him.

Date: February 20, 2022

His name was Ivan

Interviewer: Stiven Hernandez  
Interviewee: Ivan Lara  
Date: February 20, 2022  

Ivan was wearing a comfortable black long-neck sweater with a green jacket that matched his Timberlands. He was leaning back on his chair getting himself comfortable to answer the questions I was about to shoot at him. I started with something that keeps some of us awake at night, money. The amount of money in our bank accounts is important for college students, so I asked Ivan what money meant to him. With little to no time, he answered, “It comes and goes,” “it’s a responsibility, but can also become an addiction,” felt as if he had asked himself the question before. His quick answer made me think he didn’t have money problems because he had no problem talking about money. His thoughts on money are parallel with his views on happiness; many people see money as their path to happiness because it opens doors for us and facilitates many things. When asked what happiness meant to him, Ivan turned to living in the moment, having inner peace, and serving God. I sure didn’t expect that answer, people would most likely say an activity that they enjoy doing like basketball or playing video games. While answering this question, his eyes shined, and he smiled, showing genuine happiness. He seemed to have his psychological health figured out. 

However, when I asked him about how he viewed strangers, everything went south. He felt nervous, anxious, and intimidated. He even fell below them because he didn’t know who they were or what they had accomplished. Comparing himself to people he doesn’t know will cause him to doubt himself, even more, generating more conflict within him. 

I saw a lot of energy and joy in Ivan, but I saw his body become a little tense when he spoke. He wasn’t comfortable talking about this part of him; he wasn’t proud of his social inability and exposure. I asked myself, “If he views strangers this way, how does he view himself?” A “Superhero,” “I can do anything,” he stated, but he still saw himself below others. 

I sensed an inner disagreement between what he wanted to be and how he felt. He saw himself as a “Superhero,” but this changed when facing other people, he did not know. These mixed ideas of how his world works may cause some stress for him, but he mainly focuses on himself – doing what he enjoys and what makes him happy. When putting things aside and doing what makes him happy, however, the things he needs to do start to pile up, causing him more stress in the long run. He seeks help from friends and family when things become too big of a problem, and he starts stressing out. Ivan’s company was pleasant; some of his thoughts interwound with each other, but there was always time to figure ourselves out. I would like to ask him more questions and go deeper into his ideas and what makes them. There was one last question I could not ask Ivan, and that was, where did he buy his shirt? I really liked it.