My "Rising Storytellers Search" submission!

Sony recently published an online competition (a search) for the next Storyteller through film and as soon as I received the email, I just knew that it was the kind of push I needed to get my story told.
My story is about the pressures and downsides of growing up as an adopted, hispanic, unathletic, and timid kid and the hurt that I, like many other kids in my situation, struggled with throughout their childhood and possibly even into adulthood.
I responded to the pain by retreating into my head, into my dreams and my imagination. With some help from science fiction and fairy tale stories, and some inspirational films (Jurassic Park, Aliens, IT, and even some Disney movies) I found healthy ways to deal with things, but I also found that my imagination tends to run wild.
That wild, untamed nature could sometimes spiral out of control and would eventually manifest in my dreams which soon because nightmares.
In the end, we grow up and we (hopefully) learn to cope with and overcome our fears and our nightmares in healthy ways, maybe even creative ways. For me, it was art, film and storytelling in general.
Through college, I wanted to be a story teller so bad. By the age of 20, I finally accepted my past as being part of me and what made me who I was, and I embraced it - used it as fuel to push me further. It also provided me with a story. A story that I never in a million years thought Id be able to tell, particularly in a way that would help others like me or be an inspiration to someone else that didn't think they could do it, or become "someone".
I am not looking for the fame or the recognition that could eventually come from being a writer, a director, a well known artist etc. What I am looking for and hoping for is that my story, like that of countless others, becomes a beacon of hope for the lost and the broken - for the kids who just feel alone and scared. I want to make a difference and, I want to tell a story in a way that is reflective of me, an artist (at least that's what my mother calls me ).
Sony, please allow me the opportunity to not only tell my story, but to bring my dreams, my hopes and my talents to life!
P.s. the thumbnail is a sketch I did as an homage to Bill Watterson and his stories "Calvin and Hobbes" I had all of his books and they kept me going through a lot of troubled times. They reminded me that it was always OK to dream and sometimes OK to hide away and even better to relax and take joy in the simple things in life - like a good friend or a great story. Hobbes may have been imaginary to the world, but he was the best part of life for young Calvin because he didnt judge, ridicule or hurt Calvin. That kind of freedom was more real to Calvin than anything else. It was a story that inspired many, I am sure, and that is my hope... to tell a story that inspires hope, joy and creativity.