Johanna Munoz has long, dark hair that reaches the middle of her back.  Large, black glasses frame her light brown eyes. A small diamond, from her lip piercing, sticks out from below the right corner of her mouth as she talks. Her voice is enthusiastic, just like her smile. Johanna’s cheerful demeanor is almost contagious. Her car is filled with books, notebooks, candy, toys, and an apron. Johanna’s optimistic attitude is necessary for her chaotic life.

Johanna Munoz was born to Lolo and Maria Munoz on February 7th, 1992 in Sioux City. She attended East High and was very active in Student Council, Freshman Fusion, Mentor’s in Violence Prevention, and Show Choir. Johanna was no stranger to chaos. She now attends Morningside College where she works 3 jobs and takes 15 hours of classes. Johanna works at Morningside’s mail office, Beyond the Bell, and is a waitress at her parent’s restaurant, El Tapatio.

In addition to Johanna’s busy schedule, she is also needed at home. Johanna’s parents both came to the United States from Mexico when they were in their twenties. Despite living in the U.S. for roughly 20 years, they still struggle to speak English. Johanna usually does her best to help translate, when she has the time. Johanna is hesitant to call her self a fluent speaker. She says, “It’s really hard when you grow up in the United States to become fluent in English and Spanish.” She admits that her English is better than her Spanish, but her parent’s speak only Spanish in their house, so she needs to know “the basics”. “For the most part,” She says, “I know what all the words are [in Spanish], I just mess up my tenses sometime.” Johanna says she has the most difficulty when she’s translating at her parent’s Doctor’s office. “I’ve never used, or have heard some of the words they need me to translate,” She explains. ” I try to describe the word to my parents until they understand what i’m talking about.” Johanna explains that sometimes very simple transactions turn into a long process.

It’s Johanna’s nature to be cheerful and generous. It’s almost a requirement for her, if she wants to keep her sanity amidst the hectic schedule that she somehow manages.