BY JASON COHEN
Bronx native Cecilia Mercado
known as “Sessi,” made the leap out
west to Los Angeles at 19-years-old
hoping to one day be a star.
Now with her third single, “2C”
released in the spring, Mercado is
fulfi lling her dream of becoming
a known name in the EDM music
scene.
Mercado, 27, was raised in Castle
Hill by Eddie and Ivania Mercado.
Her mom was an event coordinator
and sang in festivals and her father
was a music producer. Her fi rst taste
of the limelight came at age 5 when
she sang at a Puerto Rican Day festival.
As she got older her dad began
teaching her to sing and write songs.
“I was pretty much involved in
music as a little kid,” she told the
Bronx Times.
Mercado comes from a hard-working
Cuban and Puerto Rican household
with a large family. Seeing her
mom and dad always hustling, instilled
in her the ambition and drive
to be successful.
“I grew up with a lot of energy in
the house,” she said.
According to Sessi, her parents always
taught her to chase her dreams.
In high school she began recording
songs and performing at venues in
the Lower East Side of Manhattan
and Brooklyn.
With a desire to make it big, she
left the Bronx And moved to the City
of Angels. She knew no one in California,
but Mercado never lost hope.
She worked various jobs to make
ends meet while she focused on her
singing. Eventually, she got noticed
and found a company to produce her
music.
“I did anything and everything to
put myself out there,” she said. “I really
lived that artist struggle.”
Today, her music career is slowly
headed in the right direction having
already performed in Europe a few
times. She was also named on Billboard:
“20 Latina artists to discover
before 2020 ends.”
Mercado credits her success to
confi dence, hard work and her parents.
“If I wasn’t raised by a strong
woman and strong man, I wouldn’t
have been able to survive,” she said.
BRONX TIMES R 34 EPORTER, AUG. 6-12, 2021 BTR
Cecilia Mercado, “Sessi,” a Bronx native, is making it big in the music industry.
Photo courtesy Oszo Lab and Awom Lab
District Council 9 begins its formal
recruitment process for painter, decorator
and paperhanger apprentices.
Recruitment will last from Aug. 24-
Sept. 7, at the union’s training center
in Long Island City. District Council 9
Finishing Trades Institute of New ork
offers apprentices on-the-job and inclassroom
training to ensure every apprentice
is prepared to tackle the complex
building market.
Over a 10-day period, 500 applications
will be distributed in-person at
the District Council 9 Finishing Trades
Institute of New York training facility
on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis.
“As New York transitions into a
post-pandemic era, District Council
9 is preparing the next generation of
highly skilled workers to take part in
our state’s rebuilding efforts,” Business
Manager/Secretary Treasurer
Joseph Azzopardi said. “We see our
apprentices as the future of the industry,
and we’re proud that our apprenticeship
programs help create a pathway
to rewarding, family-sustaining
careers.”
Apprenticeship Recruitment Information:
Needed: Painters, Decorators, Paperhanger
Apprentices
When: Aug. 24-Sept. 7 | Monday-Friday,
8:30 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Where: Finishing Trades Institute
of New York, 45-15 36th St., Long Island
City, NY
Apprenticeship applicants must
meet the following requirements:
-Must be at least 18 years old.
-Must have proof of a high school diploma
or a high school equivalency diploma
(ie. GED or TASC).
-Must be physically able to perform
the work of a painter, decorator or paperhanger
as determined by site evaluations
and personal statement.
-Must take a drug test prior to enrollment
in apprenticeship and randomly
throughout the apprenticeship
program, at the expense of sponsor.
-Must be able to read, hear and understand
instructions and warnings in
English.
-Must sign an affi davit attesting
that they are physically able to perform
the following:
Lifting and carrying material and
equipment and/or paint weighing up
to 70 pounds.
-Working from ladders, scaffolds,
lifts and suspended scaffolds, which
may exceed 100 feet in height.
-Bronx Times
Bronx native sings
her way to success
District Council 9
recurits apprentices