Servena, Erika [Lit&/Writing Teacher]

GENERAL INFORMATION

[ THE FULL NAME ]: Miss Erika Gardinia Servena.
[ THE NICKNAMES ]: Rika [Ree-kah]
[ THE BIRTHDAY ]: May 20, 1979
[ THE AGE ]: 29.
[ THE GENDER ]: Female.
[ THE SEXUALITY ]: Straight.
[ THE NATIONALITY ]: Puerto Rican.

[ THE TALENT ]: Theatre and Literature. She acted throughout middle and high school, but writing is and always was her most highly praised ability. She can hold a note or two as well, as she proved her senior year, when she played Anita in what became her favorite performance, the musical West Side Story.
[ THE SUBJECT]: Writing &/or Literature
[ THE RESUME ]: Taught English 12 in Puerto Rico 1999. Collaborated with Lit professor on a dissertation discussing Harlem Renaissance’s influence on American Lit, 2000. Graduated from Harvard Summa Cum Laude, 2000. Taught Creative Writing and English 12 at South River High School, 2000-2003. Taught World Literature at St. Ann’s Catholic School, 2004. Traveled and stayed in Africa, Greece, England, France, Germany and Australia, 2004-2005. Writing break- published short works Travels with Chi-Chi & Tales of a Fallen Wall, 2006 & 2007 respectively.

PERSONAL STUFF

[ THE INTERESTS ]:

Busy-ness. Planners. Literature. Scrapbooks. The Past. Organic foods. Animals. Those in need. Music. Riding roller coasters.

[ THE HOBBIES ]:

Travel. Writing. Scrapbooking. Amateur picture-taking with disposable cameras. Writing To do lists. Cooking. Latin dancing. Singing. Charity work.

[ THE DISLIKES ]:

Staying put. Writer’s block. When there’s nothing to do. Sitting still. Thunder & Lightning. Airplanes. Heights.

[ THE FEARS ]:

Loss of legs. Loss of mobility. Loss of independence. Her mother’s death. Crashes of any sort. Spiders. Dying alone.

[ THE TRAITS ]:

Busybody. Quiet. Shy. Exuberant. Adventurous. Passionate. Strong-willed. Strong of heart. Thoughtful. Kind. Honest.

[ THE ULTIMATE GOAL ]: Erika wants to say she’s seen the entire world, written out all of her deepest and darkest desires, and found that one kindred spirit meant to be with her forever.
[ THE PREVIOUS SUCCESSES ]: Other than having published several short works in high school, college and afterward- she’s maintained enough employment to afford her trip to various countries, and managed to pay off a good portion her ill mother’s medical bills.
[ THE STRUGGLES ]: Erika moved to the United States with her family when she was two. Then, when Erika was seven, her father and older brother, Diego, died in a drunk driving accident. The remaining members of her family, her mother and her oldest brother, Dominick, struggled with paying the bills and keeping both Erika and her younger brother Antonio in school. Erika skipped the eighth grade, breezed through high school and then was faced with how she was going to pay for college. Harvard, fortunately, offered her full scholarship- her sophomore year, her mother was diagnosed with coronary heart disease. The medical bills were atrociously high, especially since her mother wasn’t properly insured- that was when Erika decided she needed to earn some money for her mother. Before and between teaching gigs she picked up whatever sort of odd jobs she could, singing, waitressing, dancing- whatever.

[ THE OTHER SCHOOL ]: Mount Roland High School. Harvard, major Literature and Mythology & Folklore, minor in Women’s studies.

LOOKS, LOCKS, AND LEGS

[ THE PLAYED-BY ]: Reed, Nikki.

[ THE EYES ]: Light brown eyes enrich this pretty face. Her mother always told her she had her father’s eyes, 20-20 vision and all. Erika never wore glasses until college- she got her first pair of reading glasses- but she hardly ever uses them, preferring contacts.
[ THE HAIR ]: Erika has a habit of getting up, washing her hair and then just letting it do whatever the heck it pleases. Trips to Europe taught her that she wouldn’t always have the time or tools to tame her locks, and she’d just have to deal. Not a problem- her bedhead is hardly something to be ashamed of, considering her straight hair always falls right into place.
[ THE SMILE ]: Erika learned at a young age that a smile was a precious thing. It was lost for a long time, mostly throughout high school- her mother wasn't smiling often, her brothers either, and so she kind of fell into line. But her friends helped bring her out and her first boyfriend helped her realize how beautiful her straight, white, smile was. Now she smiles all the time, not very wide most times- but enough, in her opinion.
[ THE OTHER FACIAL STUFF ]: Erika was blessed with an acne-free adolescence. She only had one pimple in her entire life and it disappeared the day before Prom. Lucky her. She was also fortunate enough to attain pretty much all the good genes from her mother's and father's sides of the family- her favorite facial feature is the small beauty mark just above her lip, her grandmother on her father's side has a similar freckle. They joke that it's splatter from God's paint palette. Still, she primps- plucking her eyebrows to keep them thin and shapely

[ THE BUILD ]: Erika was always slim; in high school she walked to school every day and would skimp out on meals because she thought that that way she could help lower the bills- but when her mother found out she made it clear that Erika's health was far more important than an extra hour of work here and there. Either way, Erika seemed destined for her petite build, one which, especially through college, became toned as well. Her only qualm with her figure is that it's not too rare that she'll find herself in a classroom where a few or more of her students are larger than her- and that can make discipline harder, and force her to be more strict so as not to be taken advantage of.
[ THE HEIGHT ]: 5'4"
[ THE WEIGHT ]: 129.
[ THE POSTURE ]: Erika always maintained a good posture. The habit began because she always wanted to do something professionally- to be taken seriously so that she could become someone important. Manners and posture were little things that she could learn that could make a big difference. Plus, dancing helped her to be in complete control of her body. She never slouches, she sits up straight, her back arched, her legs crossed. Unless of course, she's extremely tired, or is hanging out with just friends- then she loosens up a good bit.

[ THE CLOTHING ]: Professionalism, professionalism, professionalism. Suits, dresses, blouses, khakis, heels, maybe boots. Erika wants to be sure that her students know that she is their teacher, not their friend- at least, their teacher first, before their friend. Still, she has kept, and hides in the back of her closet, some of those not-so-old ripped college Ts and jeans and the like, and on an easy-going Saturday she'll throw it on for a jog.
[ THE HYGIENE ]: Hygiene became more and more important to Erika as she traveled. She learned to be grateful for that stick of deodorant, or toothpaste, or running water for that matter. Now that she has all of those things again, you better bet she's using them. She just hates being all smelly and sticky and gross.

FAMILY: HATE TO LOVE 'EM?

[ THE PARENTS ]: Jorge and Angelina Servena. Jorge- Puerto Rican carpenter, and one of a kind father- deceased [way too soon, she might add]. Angelina- a beautiful Puerto Rican woman who desired to dance but put on an apron for her four children instead.
[ THE SIBLINGS ]: Big brother. Dominick Angelo Servena. 34. Currently working his way up the business ladder, Dominick was forced into being the father figure for Erika. She respects and loves her big brother dearly, although sometimes she wishes he’d butt out of her life. He’s worse than mom sometimes…
Diego Alfredo Servena. Deceased- but would be 32. Erika was extremely close to Diego, as close as two kids could get in seven years of knowing each other. His death was nothing short of utter devastation.
Antonio Alej Servena. 27. Most annoying, but most lovable guy in the entire world. And one of the most ambitious members of the family, having also had attended Harvard, and now at Yale, working on his masters’ degree at their Med school.
[ OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS ]: Abuelitos- her father’s parents. When Erika went to Puerto Rico she stayed with them. Most summers of her teenage life she spent with them, working in their restaurant by the beach nearly all day on weekdays, cooking and delivering food to neighbors with Abuelita on Saturdays and taking long enjoyable walks with Abuelito on Sundays. They were her only real connection to her father, and also just great people in general. She still writes them.
[ IMPORTANT ANCESTRY ]: Unless poor Puerto Rican immigrants count- no.