Today we’d like to introduce you to Genesis Codina.
Genesis, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started singing really early on at the age of six! I started singing mariachi music, pop & R&B, and then, eventually got into acting and modeling all by the age of 13. I was on a few TV shows, in a movie with Keanu Reeves and Chris Evans, and I had also started doing beauty pageants. This all fueled my love for being in the public eye and transformed me into the outspoken, lively, and fashion-loving woman I am today.
Besides everything else, singing has been and always will be my passion and my dream was always to become a signed recording artist. However, when I was 15 years old, I was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer and that completely turned my life upside down. I was performing internationally, competing on televised talent competitions and working hard towards achieving my dreams, but this turned it all around for me. We discovered a tumor the size of a golf ball in my neck and I immediately was sent for emergency surgery. Surprisingly, I was never scared about cancer, but when I woke up from surgery my biggest fear came true. I couldn’t speak louder than a whisper. The doctors thought that I was just in pain and that it hurt me to speak up, but then, we discovered that as a result of the surgery, I had a paralyzed vocal cord and there was no knowing when or if my voice would ever return fully. I was devastated because I couldn’t do what I loved most and that was to sing.
A few weeks after my surgery, I had iodine radiation and a full body scan, but the cancer was still not gone. I had a second surgery, more radiation, and the cancer was still not gone. Today, seven years later, cancer has still not officially been declared gone, but since the two small tumors in my neck haven’t grown, I will continuously be monitored to ensure no further growth.
Throughout that time, never returned to 100% like it was before. I can’t scream, I can talk too loud because it hurts, and I can’t yell, but I have started singing again.
During my journey, I did attend college at UC Santa Barbara and earned my Bachelors Degree in Global Studies with a Minor in Anthropology, and after graduating with a 3.4GPA, I was accepted into Teach for America. I am now working towards my teaching credential and Masters Degree at Loyola Marymount University, and I am working as a Special Education Teacher in Kindergarten and 1st grade in an underserved community in Los Angeles doing what I can to help close the educational inequity gap that exists in our country.
On my own time, I still do things that I love and that make me happy, so I pursue photography, travel, and fashion! I express myself through photos and share the content I create on Instagram. I have a lot of future plans ahead and some of them include starting my own fashion/lifestyle blog and beginning to pursue acting again, now that I am living back in Los Angeles.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As mentioned, one of the biggest struggles I had was my battle with cancer. I had so many dreams and that one thing took me on an extreme detour. However, I look back and see my struggles as a sort of a blessing and I am thankful for it because without it I wouldn’t be the strong, optimistic woman I am today. I enjoy life and live every day like it is my last.
My advice for young women who are just starting their journey is to never give up and to always remember that through darkness there will always be a light. Plans might not go as you planned them or expected, but at the end of the day, whatever is meant to be will be. You will become what you are meant to be, and despite facing hardships it’s essential to keep your head up and never lose hope in yourself and your determination. Life is hard, but it is beautiful. Never take it too seriously.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a Special Education Teacher in an underserved community in Los Angeles. It is my first year teaching, so I am still in the learning process, but I am so excited!
I am also working on growing my following on Instagram and starting my own fashion/lifestyle blog, where I can share my passions and share my love for photography and content creation! I hope to eventually get to a place where I can collaborate with some of my favorite brands!
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
My mother has inspired me because despite being a mother to three, she has never lost sight of herself and has continued to pursue her own dreams. She returned to college to get her bachelors after so many years, she has never been afraid to speak up and advocate for herself, and she has always stood by her beliefs. My mother gives endless love to her family and to those in need, and she has helped mold me into the woman I am today. Without my mom, I wouldn’t be the Genesis I am today, and I owe a lot of my successes to her.
On a fun note, a woman who has inspired me both musically and personality-wise is Rihanna. She is so bold, careless, and awesome, and I aspire to be like her!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: genesiscodina
Image Credit:
J. Carrilo, K. D’Agrosa
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