Meeting kids who feel inspired by my story, it means so much to me.
— Laurie Hernandez
The Olympics was really, really stressful because I had never done anything like it. At the same time, I was understanding something like that could never really happen again. I embraced it and took in everything.
When you're a little girl, and you're watching the Olympics, and you see this very diverse group of gymnasts out there, and - I think this team, the Final 5, will inspire so many little girls to go out there and do what they love.
I don't think that being Hispanic, being black, being white - I don't think that limits you to anything. I think everyone should just go for what they want.
I am extremely close to my grandma. Growing up, she would always do my hair; she was always the one who would make me chocolate milk or rice when I came home.
I want to be a role model. I want to be able to know that I inspired girls to work hard and go for their dreams and to never give up.
My family has always been very close. Ever since I was a kid, everybody was always together, including my grandma. In the mornings, my mom would work, and my grandma would help me get ready and would walk me to school. We were all so close to her.
I listen to a lot of music. One of my favorite songs is 'Final Song' by M. It's something that I listen to before a lot of competitions.
We're all different, so even though someone is getting a skill before you, it doesn't mean that you're not good enough; it just means you have to wait a little bit, and the skill will come when it comes.
No matter what race or color you are, you can aspire to do something great.
I would love to be an actress!
I am second-generation American, and my grandparents are from Puerto Rico.
I think it's amazing that I can go out there and be myself, and the fact that I'm carrying Puerto Rico on my back a little bit is such an honor.
People have seen me at my best, but I don't think most of them know everything that it took to get me to where I am today.
I think people are people. If you want something, go get it. I don't think it matters what race you are.
I've been to Tokyo-slash-Japan - we actually went to Yokohama in 2015 and 2013 for international competitions. I think that it would be really nice to go back and do a little Olympic thing there.
When you have family with you, it gives you extra energy.
I knew when I started gymnastics, I wanted to have a lot of fun and eventually go to the Olympics. On the moments where I felt really down, I just remembered, 'You're almost there. Just keep going. Keep working hard.'
It's weird to hear anyone call me a role model.
My emotions kind of shine through my face, so whatever I'm thinking is what I'm portraying as well.
I don't see it as pressure at all. I see it as such an honor to just in some sort of way represent Puerto Rico and Hispanics and all the girls out there.
Sometimes you just don't know what to say.
Don't let people tell you that you can't do something.
Of course I'm very sassy.
As an athlete, the most important thing is the protein that you eat and the things that you put into your body. Without that, it's very hard to function throughout the day.
Life has been a really big whirlwind, but it's been a lot of fun. I travel so much, and I'm constantly doing things that I love, but it's just me.
My whole life revolved around gymnastics because I loved it so much. I home-schooled because of it; I changed my eating habits.
A goal of making it to the Olympic Games has motivated me to work very hard in my sport.
I started a gymnastics class at five years old, but it became serious at seven.
If you want to train hard enough to go to the Olympics, then you're going to go out, and you're going to do it. It doesn't matter what skin color or who you are.
I hope I can help inspire people to go for their dreams.
I'm confident. I'm a crowd pleaser.
Secretly, I'm a 5-year-old.
I definitely take it as a really big responsibility on my shoulders to make sure I'm motivating my generation and the people around me and, hopefully, inspire people to try something new.
The big cheat meal will be a cookies and cream milkshake.
Being able to do something that I love and be at such a high level of gymnastics is just amazing.
People call me the human emoji because I think people recognize that if I'm ever thinking something or feeling a certain emotion, it goes straight to my face. So if I'm happy, you'll know I'm happy, and if I'm mad, you'll know I'm mad just by looking at me.
I hope the Final Five has shown that everyone is capable of success if they work hard.
When I was a little kid, I don't remember looking up and seeing so many Hispanic athletes out there.
I love listening to music in general before I compete. It's something that calms me down, and meditating and breathing before I get up there to calm all my nerves.
The first meal that I learned to make was scrambled eggs.
Two people who really inspire me are my parents, Wanda and Anthony, just because they really made sure to keep up Hispanic culture in my family.
Growing up, there wasn't an exact Hispanic role model that I had. I didn't realize how big a difference I was making, going to the Olympics and being Hispanic, until I would be in an autograph session, and parents would come up to me and say, 'You know, our family is so proud of you, you're really doing Hispanics proud.'
My mother was in the Army Reserve for six years. She taught me the importance of following rules, finishing what I start, never giving up, leadership skills, teamwork, staying positive, motivated and how to pack the military way when I'm traveling!
My earliest memory was watching gymnastics on live TV and wanting to do what the 'big girls' did.
If you think too far ahead, then it'll just stress you out.
Basically, I was a little bit nervous before competing beam at the Olympics, and I had this nervous thing to just talk to myself, like 'You can do it, you can do it.' And right before I hopped up there, I said, 'I got this.'
It's kind of like I won a gold medal with my family.
I got a piece of a dead person's ligament in my body.
