David Ventura

Hi my name is David most of my friends call me Nice or D-nice. I was born on September 19, 1986, in Corona Queens, New York City. Even though I was born in the city I was not born a privileged child, in fact I was born and raised in a rough part of town with a low socioeconomic status. A part of the city where a majority of the people depended on welfare programs just to survive. Most people would consider where I grew up a ghetto or project because of the high crime rate and immense poverty. I see it as a place with little hope for those seeking a better life and that is why my parents moved to Florida. The experience of growing up in New York made me tough, wise, and street savvy. Yet living in Florida showed me that I wanted more out of life both for me and future children. I don't want my kids to grow up like I did, although, I learned a lot about life and in a way it made me who I am today. Even though I'm proud of my past I feel that there are better ways to raise children. I don't regret my past because it fuels my future and every time I get down I think about where I came from and how I never want to go back to that lifestyle.

Growing Up

• Queens, New York - I lived in New York until I was 12 years old.
• Satellite Beach, Florida - Then we left the city for the beautiful beaches of Florida.
• Melbourne, FL - Next we left the beach for a near by city/town about 7 minutes from the beach.
• Gainesville, FL - And presently I'm living in The Swamp.

The Family

• My father, John Silvester, is an electrionic technician for Rockwell Collins Avionics in Melbourne, Florida.
• My mother, Daisy, is a hard working woman that does all kinds of manual labor for work. For example, she has worked as a housekeeper, on construction sites doing clean up, and worked at an assembly factory for several years without ever missing a day. When I was young my mother would go grocery shopping on my bike by herself and come back with milk, cereal, bread, juice, and etc on the bike handle not many woman do that. That is why my mother is an inspiration to me and I can't see myself letting her down.
• My sister Cindy (29) lives in Sanford, Florida with her husband and two kids. She is a house mom and she loves to watch General Hospital.
• My sister Yalitza (20) lives with mom and dad, but she plans to move out soon.
• My youngest sister Joanne (18) is a freshman at a nearby community college and hopes to come to UF one day.