December 20, 2023
Profile on Giannie Arana
By John Myers
By: Reina Copeland
We never really know people until we truly talk to them. When people look at Giannie Arana, they see a five-foot five-inch white girl who is incredibly attractive. As strikingly beautiful as she is, there is more beneath the surface of Giannie, who is sixteen years old and resides in Queens, New York. Arana is Ecuadorian and goes to school in one of the most diverse areas, the Lower East Side. She has grown into a very confident person since most of her friends have known her.
When asked about if she has seen growth within herself Arana stated “I feel freshman me and sophomore me are very different. During freshman year I was very shy and did not like to speak much. However, sophomore me has become more comfortable with my environment. And that has led me to be more out of my shell.”
Befriending and interacting with Giannie Arana has given me the insight to say that she has grown out of her cocoon. She is more open to being loud and expressive with her friends in public. If it be her distinct laugh or the way she crouches down like a crab and walks to make her friends laugh, Giannie is also someone who is very individualized even when keeping up with social norms. She describes herself as having such a distinct style that some people may not like, sometimes feeling othered due to this distinction between her and her peers. “One time it was mentioned that Converse were not cool to wear to school. So I sort of felt othered in that situation because I am a Converse wearer.”
Natalia Oseida is Arana’s best friend and admires her deeply. She observed, “Giannie walks as if the world is beneath her- not in a shallow way though. Giannie has such a cool style that can’t be replicated.” Arana’s style is not the only thing that makes her unique. Giannie is also a very kind soul. Her morals and ethics and personality derive from her family in Ecuador. “My greatest inspiration,” she paused, “would definitely be my family in Ecuador because they are not as economically well off as me.” Arana goes on to explain how the financial burdens placed upon her family have made her see her privileges. “They are definitely the inspirations behind who I want to be in this life and wanting to conquer and succeed. I feel like I want to overachieve, especially career-wise, because I just want to take them out of that situation and help them because they’re such great people. They were handed such poor living conditions.”
Arana’s inspiration clearly translates to her personality and in fact, is constantly seen with her kindness and perseverance. While interviewing Giannie I have truly come to realize that you don’t know people until you talk to them. We always judge a book by its cover and not the content within it. To the outside world, Arana is someone you may pass by once and never think about again but when you get to know her, you can tell that is the complete opposite of who she is.
