Stephanie Gonzalez

Profile
Retrieved from CBS.com

Age: 26 Hometown: Aguada, Puerto Rico

Current residence: Ocala, Florida

Occupation: Graphic Sales

Hobbies: Paintball, working out, running, free diving, snorkeling, being in nature, anything involving the ocean, and I LOVE race/stunt cars drag race. Yes I'm a little bit of a tom boy and not at all ashamed.

Pet peeves: Complainers! People who feel entitled to everything without working for it. Also, annoying laughs, arrogant men, racism, bullies, and pretty boys.

Three words to describe you: Outspoken, strong-willed, and strategic.

What's your personal claim to fame? I was promoted to Senior Surgery Technician after only one year of long hours and sleepless nights of on call emergency surgeries. Meanwhile I was taking care of 14 foaling babies (horses) at home in exchange for rent.

Who or what is your inspiration in life? Not to be the cliché but my mother, reasons being I would not be here if she decided to abort (which was highly recommended by her doctors due to health issues when pregnant with me), Thanks for rebelling Mom! I am grateful for the woman she is and instilling in me the fighter I've become. She recently overcame skin cancer with a smile on her face. She's had to work hard and reconstruct her life after some health issues and losing close family members. She is a genuinely kind, graceful woman with fire in her heart. She works with handicapped children which has been a dream of hers. She reminds me I have a bigger purpose in life. I've always really appreciated her strong support in my way of thinking and encouraged me to keep being an extraordinary human being. In other words, having a strong personality and being weird is cool in her book. That normal is boring and with that, normal woman rarely go down in history. To always do everything in life wholeheartedly. It's an "all or nothing" kind of life in my mom's eyes. I couldn't agree more with that woman.

If you could have three things on the island, what would they be and why? A small plush panda teddy bear my mom gave me. It's special because she calls it my guardian angel. It really is the little things in life. A small bottle of my dad's cologne. He is the one who always pushes me to do better than the best, to be tougher. Being able to smell his cologne will feel like he is right next to me talking words of wisdom and encouragement. I was always a daddy's girl, and most importantly I have this bracelet that says "ONE MILLION WIN" (cause Sole Survivor would be a bit too cheesy even for me). It's gold on black strings and it serves as my reminder of how bad I need to win Sole Survivor. I never take it off.

Which Survivor contestant are you most like? I would play like a combination of people. First would be Tony Vlachos who actually goes out and hunts for idols when no one's paying attention. Next would be to play challenges like challenge beast Kelly Wiglesworth. I'm also going to go for a nice little four win streak. Also, Brenda Lowe who can't help but be expressive, kind but is a total badass in challenges, and finally, Sandra who I can identify with socially in her sassy attitude and manipulative ways.

What's your reason for being on Survivor? One million dollars is a huge motivating factor for me. The bragging right of forever being a legendary Sole Survivor and being 1 of 16 women to win will be nothing short of amazing, but a million dollars is life changing! It would give me the freedom to be able to have a home and not continue to move from crappy apartment to crappy apartment. It would allow me to pursue investing and financial growth which I can turn into my lifelong goal of living a philanthropic life.

Why do you think you'll "survive" Survivor? Because of my hell-bent determination and strong will to win. I put my heart into everything I do. I wanted to go to school, so I worked three jobs to pay for it, along with 1,000 hours of internships to graduate. In business I wanted to help my brother and we grew the business from one store to three stores. I know in my heart that I can win. I welcome all challenges with open arms and can read people really well.

Socially, it'll be fun to test waters on how diverse I can be in order to really connect with people. After all, I have to cater to people's personalities so they'll feel comfortable doing what I need. Once my heart is set I will stop at nothing until I've achieved my goal even through blood, sweat, and tears. I've studied Survivor well enough to understand how to manipulate the numbers, play idols how they should be played and hustle the social game. I will go into this with focus, agility, and perseverance.