Laurie Hernandez - I Got This: To Gold and Beyond

MOST PEOPLE DONT KNOW THIS ABOUT ME, BUT the name on my birth certificate is Lauren Zoe Hernandez. I guess a lot of other parents in 2000 gave their daughters the name Lauren, too: there were so many of us in my first gymnastics class, my teacher decided to call me Laurie so wed know which one of us she was talking to. From there, the nickname just kind of stuck, and now thats how Im known. Since then Ive also earned the nickname the Human Emoji because of the animated faces I make during my floor routines. I love the hilarious pictures of me online making the openmouthed smiley face and the blushing face. Theres also the flirty face and the scream. But the one people think most resembles me is the epic grin. Im definitely a happy, bubbly person, and I like the fact that it shows on my face!

A lot of the joy people see in me comes from doing what Im passionate about, and it also comes from my home life. Before I ever learned the basics of gymnasticshow to cast well on the uneven bars, how to do a handspring on the vaultI learned the importance of being part of a loving family. My dad, Anthony Hernandez, is a court clerk for the New York City Supreme Court, and my mom, Wanda Hernandez, is an elementary school social worker. Theyre really adorable. My dad told me that they first met in college and that my mom would study a lot in the library (which doesnt surprise me) and my dad would always joke around with her. Thats so like himhes the comedian in the family, the one who makes us laugh all the time at the dinner table. I guess their relationship just sprouted from there. Since the beginning, communication was important to them, and theyve made sure its important to the rest of the family, too.

Because my mom grew up in a not-so-good neighborhood in New York City, where she saw a lot of verbal and physical abuse, she and my dad decided that when they raised a family, they wanted to be as far from that kind of influence as possible. As soon as they could, they moved to Old Bridge Township, New Jersey. Its a friendly community where Ive lived my entire life. My mom swore to my dad and to herself that wed never have the type of bad behavior in our home that she was exposed to as a child. She made sure that we grew up with a lot of respect and love. She had witnessed the ugly side of life and wanted to create something better for us. I know thats why my siblings and I have such an awesome connection.

Speaking of my siblings... my sister, Jelysa, my brother, Marcus, and I all think our parents are the best life coaches ever. They raised the three of us to treat one another with respect, and its because of their example that were always nice to each other. When were walking down the street, everyone thinks its unbelievable how calm and how playful we are together. I know it sounds strange, but we never fight, because we understand were going to be with each other for the rest of our lives. People say, Wait, what? You really dont fight? And its true, we dont. If were upset with each other, we talk it out. You dont have to fight and ignore each other for daysthats just not something that we do in our house. And once we settle a disagreement, we leave it behind us. Our parents taught us to respect our siblings first and to always remember to show that we care.

Jaythats what we call Jelysais eleven years older than me. Shes more than a big sister, shes like an extra mom and one of my best friends all rolled into one. She has a masters degree and is a social worker just like my mother. Even though theres such a big age gap between us, were really close. I know I can tell her anything, and I trust her completely. When I was younger, we used to have sleepovers in her room: Id crawl into her bed and wed stay up all night talking. And now that were older, its funny how we finish each others sentences and how we have the same mannerisms. Sometimes it freaks people out. Like one time we were in Starbucks and we ordered cake pops separately, and without even realizing it, we said the same thing in the same exact way. The barista laughed and told us that what wed said and how wed said it was so identical, it sounded scripted!

Marcus is awesome, too. Hes four years older than me and in college now. Hes studying economics and sports management at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Hes a great athlete and ran track at Old Bridge High School and was a middle-distance competitor during his freshman year of college. He participated in the NCAA Division I All-American competition, too, which is a big deal. Im always amazed by how he did all that when there was a ton going on in his life. Ive been able to really concentrate on my gymnastics, whereas he was competing and juggling so much at once: school, family, social responsibilities, track. Even when youre talented, every sport is hard and requires a lot of your attention. Right now Marcus is focusing on his studies and his work, but he still always makes time for me and is one of my biggest fans. Like, during the Olympics, he got all of Old Bridge tweeting their support for me! He says hes super proud of me, and Im just as proud of him.