Latino Pride: A Result from the Harvest of Effort
By Dr. Maria Pouncey
No one said that life is easy; especially for farmworker families struggling to plant and pick fruits and vegetables that we eat daily. Many times, our farm families are living day to day, working hard in heat often measuring more than 100 degrees. Life is difficult and sometimes farmworkers barely make enough money to support the family. However, everyone in the family does their share, if it is not in the fields then it’s in the house helping with chores. The least that this country can do is to provide opportunities for education – opportunities that change lives! It’s a pity that sometimes families do not recognize the importance of education until it’s too late. We are proud to say that this was not the case for a migrant farm family in the town of Gretna, Florida. Despite all the difficult moments, and living with some seasons without a job, in a humble but loving environment, the family motivated their daughter Estrella Romulo to put forth her best effort for a better future. Although her parents have worked all of their lives in agriculture, without the opportunity to attend school, they have always been involved in the education of their children. If there was a meeting, the mom was there supporting her children.
What was the result? A successful daughter who was selected as the “the Valedictorian of East Gadsden High School”- the first Latina to earn the proud title of honor in this school! All in the Latino community are proud of her effort and dedication to her studies. Estrella maintained her grades while she helped to support her family, working with her parents during harvests. Asked what inspired her to excel in her studies, she responded with: “my biggest motivation to thrive at school were my parents. They will continue to be my biggest inspiration to do something for myself. To be someone in this life! A form of payment for their sacrifice. My education was so important to me because I knew that it would lead me to greater things. It has value and meaning because my education is leading me towards fulfilling my dream. My parents didn’t have much education, they left their family in Mexico in search of work for a better future. Yet, it has never been easy for them. Sometimes, for personal reasons, I was distracted from my studies, but for those same reasons I set my studies as my priority. Coming from a migrant family, and knowing well what it is to work hard in the fields was what pushed me to do my best at school. I know that my education will help me to liberate my parents and myself from continuing to work in the fields.”
Estrella advises other young Latinos aspiring to succeed in this life as follows: “start with putting school and education first. I promise you that making education a priority and if you do your best to improve your education, it will lead you to opportunities in life. Make every struggle that you may be going through in life a reason to do your best in school and in life; use it as motivation to aspire to be the very best. Where there is a will, there is a way!” Estrella wants to study nursing and we are confident that she will succeed.
On behalf of the Latino community and migrant farmworkers in the Florida Panhandle, congratulations to our Latino pride, Ms. Estrella Romulo, 2017 Valedictorian of East Gadsden High School and winner of a full scholarship from the Florida A & M University in Tallahassee, Florida.
