College graduate honors immigrant parents by posing for photo in fruit field where mom still works

Erica Alfaro wanted to honor the sacrifices her parents made so that she could one day graduate from San Diego State University with a master’s degree in education, so in a now-viral graduation photo, Alfaro and her parents, Teresa and Claudio, posed in the strawberry field where Teresa still works to this day. "With love I dedicate my master's to my parents,” Alfaro wrote in a caption. “Their sacrifice to come to this country to give us a better future was well worth it.”

Neither of her parents, who are originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, went to school, and encouraged Alfaro to continue her own studies even when it felt like the world was crashing down around her. Alfaro was finally out of an abusive relationship and was barely in her first semester at California State University, San Marcos when her son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Her grades suffered under the stress, and she quit school—but she always had her parents in her corner, telling her to keep going.

So she did. "It took me almost six years to get my bachelor's degree," Alfaro continued, becoming the first in her family to graduate from college, followed by a younger sibling. "The reason I share my story,” she said at her commencement ceremony, “is because I want to encourage undocumented single mothers, and people who suffer from domestic violence, to get an education and achieve their goals.”

This month, she added her master’s degree with a concentration in counseling to her accomplishments, and has her sights set on becoming a school counselor in order to help other students just like her. She also hopes her photos serve as an inspiration to others who share a similar background. "These photos represent many of us," she said. "Our parents came to this country to give us a better life and we wouldn't be here without them."

Just as importantly, Alfaro hopes to inspire her own son: “My son represents a new generation,” she continued. “He will have a better future. He will have more opportunities, and I will be there to tell him that it is possible. That he belongs. All those things I never heard myself.”

from Daily Kos http://bit.ly/2X7fgxr