This is one in a series of videos about the hopes and dreams of Cuba’s 1.5 million 20-somethings.
The video is part of a multimedia project called “Cuban Youth: A New Dawn?”
The project was made possible by the non-profit Pulitzer Center in Washington, D.C.
This video features an interview with Natalie Baez, 21, a souvenir vendor and aspiring actress.
Baez said she was raised by a single mother in the eastern province of Granma. She traveled to Havana alone with dreams of finding success in acting.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I watched television. If I saw a teacher, I’d want to be a teacher.”
And if she saw a doctor or a policeman on TV, that’s what she wanted to be.
“As I got older, I realized I didn’t want to be a doctor or a policeman or a teacher. I wanted to be an actress so I could be all those things at the same time. I could embody a character.”
Her latest acting role was as an agent on a popular Cuban police show called, “Tras la Huella,” or In Search of Evidence.
While on the show, Baez answers an emergency call from a girl who has a gag in her mouth.
Baez said she doesn’t earn much from such jobs – just $10 per month. She works at a souvenir shop to make ends meet.
“I want to help my mother. She made me the kind of person I am.”
