My realistic pose was of my father. Every time we take a picture of my father, he makes this pose to mess with me and my sisters. He loves to scrunch up his nose and purse his upper lip to make us laugh. I crossed my arms and took a wider stance to show how he usually stands like a little child, stubborn and unwillingly to compromise. In order to get my father to stop, we usually have to complement him or tell him we will love him if he lets us take the picture.  He loves hearing us adore him. I chose my father for my caretaker studies because after a really hard day of school, watching television and laughing with him always cheers me up. He is a police officer and he has always been a person to help and entertain others. A big part of my interest in medicine, politics, and human rights comes from his dedication to public service and instilling that in me. When I was younger, my father was the one who made me breakfast in the morning and got me ready to go to school since my mother worked. Out of my sisters, I‘m the closest to my father since we have similar habits of talking, political ideologies, interest in sports, and overall personalities. I explained the Caretaker study to my sisters and did this pose and they knew instantly that I was mimicking him because it represents him to well: funny and warmhearted.

My abstract pose was of my older cousin.  She was an NYU student when I was young. In between her 4 jobs, studying, and her double majors, she would always bring me clothes and food home since my aunt used to babysit me. If she missed me a day, she would drop by our apartment to kiss me goodnight and drop off presents. Since I was so young when she went to college, everyone thought I was her daughter and till this day she calls me her “first daughter” (since she has a daughter of her own now). This pose represents two characteristics of my cousin: vocal/opinionated, and nurturing/caring. The calling out gesture represents my cousin’s free nature of saying what she means and meaning what she says. She studies and researches everything to become an expert on any interest she tries from interior decorating to running a small business. She is a risk taker and isn’t afraid to break tradition to pursue things she loves. She encourages me to pick up hobbies and interests and pursue them so that I chose a career I will love and have experiences I will enjoy. In the pose, my other hand is held out like I was holding a child. This part of the pose represents her nurturing and caring side that she has for me and has for her children.  She is charismatic, energetic, and cool person that children just gravitate towards. She was a big part of my upbringing and is still a huge part of my life.