Fourteen years old and she already had the weight of supporting her family on her thin, sunburnt shoulders. Mrs. Flores was one of thirteen children and the only one to make the bold decision to leave her home in Mexico in the hopes of providing a better future for her loved ones. Everyone called her the “mature one,” despite being the seventh oldest child. She ventured to a world far different from the small village that she grew up in. Sparsely-placed houses, dirt roads that go on for miles, cows, chickens, and horses in the backyard, mountains within walking distance, and a night sky where hundreds of stars can be seen but the house right across from you can’t–that was all she knew. Moving to the big city was a daring leap for a young girl traveling alone and knowing only but a few words in English: “hello”, “How are you?”, “Are you hiring?” With determination and resilience, Mrs. Flores got a job, bought a cheap shoe-box sized apartment and made a life for herself in New York with what she had. It all comes down to helping her family. She left herself with the bare minimum so that she could send money back home. When Mrs. Flores became financially stable instead of buying indulgences she would continue with her simplistic lifestyle and send money to the church in her town. Adapting to life in America was a challenge Mrs. Flores not only overcame but excelled at. 

– Mia

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