Mike Esk

My name is Mike Esquivel. My last name is something of a running joke as people can't seem to pronounce it properly. For that reason, I simply go by Mike Esk. My unique surname comes from being a 3rd generation Mexican on my father's side. On my mother's side I am 2nd generation Portuguese. I am proud to say I am a descendent of immigrants from both sides of my family. My heritage is something I have immense pride in, and I attribute a great deal of the man I am today to both my Latin American and European ancestry. I was born into a predominantly Catholic family. I was baptized as an infant, and received the sacrament of confirmation in 2007. Since then I have remained a Catholic, though I continuously struggle with maintaining an identity as a Catholic in a predominantly secular world. I hail from the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California. Born and raise there, I couldn't imagine a better place to grow up. I am an Eagle Scout, cinephile, gamer, and poet. I am currently a senior at Franciscan University of Steubenville and reaching toward my Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts. I have been at Franciscan since spring 2014, and am excited to be finishing up by the end of this semester.

Perspective is everything. This is extremely important to remember when writing or reading literature. Every individual has a unique worldview that one have developed throughout his or her life. We are truly a sum of our experiences. With this in mind, I firmly believe that my particular perspective is a valuable one to have, especially at my University. It is my intention to share it with you, the reader, here on The Odyssey.