NAME: Lena Armas
GENDER: Female, she/her
DATE OF BIRTH: May 17th, 1990 (27) Â
PLACE OF BIRTH: Bangkok, Thailand
NEIGHBORHOOD: Wrightsville Beach
OCCUPATION: Barista at The Workshop Â
FACE CLAIM: Brenda Song
She remembers how thin she was, walking next to Cocoa at one in the morning, banging her grandfatherâs cane against the garbage cans. It was humid, like walking in an oven. That was her normal, her home. The streets were filthy because unlike America, there were no consequences for littering. It was crowded and loudâ unsafe. She remembers feeling helpless and lonelyâ because she was too serious to be around. She didnât have friends or anyone to talk to, her brothers often pretending she didnât exist. Even as the baby, she was often forgotten. When her parents began discussing the possibility of moving to America, their family even joked about leaving her behind. She was unimportant, a nuisance. When the time came to make the big move, they considered leaving her behind with her grandfather. She never learned of the real reason why, but she didnât argue. Days before it was time to leave, he passed, and that was how Lamai came to Americaâby fate.
They emigrated to Virginia in hopes of a better life, passing as tourists until they were able to obtain green cards, years later. Lamai remained as the timid child she was, barely talking, but with one subtle differenceâ the raise of her chin, wherever she went. She kept a wandering eye, completely engrossed in American culture. By high school, Lamai grew to obtain the one infamous trait that many teens hadâ rebellion. She knew she was under appreciated, nearly hated by her own flesh and blood. She wanted to leave her home, and when the opportunity of love came, she took it by the horns and made it her entire life.
Lamai married when she turned eighteen, to her boyfriend of six months. Her parents were disappointed, causing an uproar of continuous arguments, day and night. He was four years older, of a different race, and they barely knew him. Lamai didnât care, she wanted to get away, no matter what it took. They moved into a shitty apartment, the two of them getting by on part time jobs. All was well for the first two months until they realized the mistake they had made. Lamai became a divorcee after three months and the two parted ways, hoping to never see each other again. She went home, ran straight to her room and locked herself in for three weeks, exactly.Â
Her family wasnât concerned, doing nothing but talk shit of how she ruined her own life. âI told you soâ became like some sort of mantra, taunting her with the horrible choices she had made. She couldnât take it anymore and decided to take that pain, the disappointment, and turn it into something big. With all the money she had saved, Lamai packed her bags, booked a one way ticket to Wilmington, North Carolina and never looked back.
Nine years later, Lamai legally changed her name to Lena Armas. She decided her name had always been too difficult to spell, but most of all, cutting her ties was something she was determined to do. She wanted nothing to do with the family that failed to raise her, that failed to see the potential she knew she had. Lena then went to school to master her part time job as a barista, now employed as one at The Workshop in Wrightsville Beach. After years of battling with depression, self doubt, and feeling lost, she promised herself she would no longer submit to being anything less. She would no longer be pulled down to be the ânothingâ she thought she was and made herself important.
( + ) hardworking, independent, headstrong
( - ) selfish, controlling, unforgiving
