On July 7th, 2023, I took a chance to volunteer with the GRBR (Green Reno Balloon Race).
I met Ken Azevedo, who pilots the Gooberfish balloon, along with other friendly volunteers. I was so nervous to interact with people I didn't know but willing to try something new! I am incredibly grateful that I could take flight on my first day as a new volunteer.
I felt a deep sense of peace when we ascended over my community, and I saw the vibrancy of the sunrise pouring over all of the green trees. I had an excellent conversation with Ken throughout the flight. I felt like I was levitating like Criss Angel.
Our flight ended when we landed in the field of Traner Middle School, where I was a student. I was so happy to greet families in the neighborhood and staff members as we stored the balloon. I learned so much in just a few short hours.
I was born and raised in Reno, Nevada.
The Great Reno Balloon Race at Rancho San Rafael will always remain a positive memory for me, especially one I hold dear with my mother, who died when I was in kindergarten in 2003. We lived impoverished in a studio apartment next to the 7-11 on Virginia Street before she died, and I remember spending one morning at the park together watching the hot air balloons. It was one of the most beautiful days and a rare memory of her genuine smile.
After 20 years, I decided that I wanted a proper internment for my mom’s ashes, and we finally laid them to rest in her hometown of Stockton, California, in June 2023, after staying at different relatives' homes over the years. Her birthday is July 8th, just one day after my flight on Gooberfish.
I was raised by my father who struggles with severe mental illness and went to middle school and high school in one of the most stigmatized communities in Reno at both Traner Middle School and Hug High School. I am the first in my family to graduate from the University of Nevada, and I’m now an adult navigating the repercussions of developmental trauma.
If you’re reading this, please know that you are so valuable because of your past and any of your current struggles with mental illness because you are still here with us, marching on. Please know that you deserve to enjoy your community, and you can have good days!!
Thank you!
Citizen’s Forum Contribution by Sierra “Renegade” Stevens
Note: Minor modifications were made to original text for clarity.