From Migrant Fields to College Dreams: A First-Generation Student's Journey of Resilience and Gratitude

Story by Aylin Garza, Hillsboro High School Class of 2025

If you asked me now— a senior at Hillsboro High School with graduation just around the corner—how being a migrant has affected my life, I’d tell you it made me into the woman I am today. I wouldn’t change a single moment, because every challenge taught me something I needed to grow and succeed. It showed me what truly matters in life.

But if you had asked me the same question years ago, my answer would have been very different.

Education has always been a priority for my parents and me. Even with the challenges of migrating—spending five months in Mexico and seven in North Dakota—they did everything they could to create a stable life for their three daughters. But that stability didn’t come easily.

My dad works as a farmer from April through mid-to-late November, sometimes harvesting day and night. There were weeks when I didn’t even see him. My mom didn’t fall short in her efforts either—during harvest, she worked 12-hour shifts, and she still does to this day.

In 2008 and 2009, my parents made the painful decision to leave me, just a year old at the time, in Mexico with family so they could work and provide for us. They later told me how difficult that was, but they stayed strong for my future.

As I got older, I joined them in the fields during the summer. The work was hard, especially under the scorching sun, but I stayed motivated, knowing it would be worth it. Balancing that labor with my responsibilities in the Manvel Public School Migrant Summer Program was never easy. But just like in the fields, I pushed forward, row by row, until the job was done.

I will always be deeply grateful for the sacrifices my parents made. I’ve tried my best to make them proud, but school hasn’t always come easily. Because I also attended school in Mexico, I frequently switched both schools and languages. As a young girl, trying to learn how to read and write in two languages was incredibly difficult.

Eventually, I adjusted to the migrant lifestyle—until high school came around. That’s when credits started to matter, and I began falling behind because of the time I spent in Mexico. That’s when I discovered the PASS program, which has helped many migrant students like me stay on track and reach graduation. The Portable Assisted Study Sequence (PASS) is a flexible program that lets students earn high school credits at their own pace while balancing work and travel. It was exactly what I needed. Thanks to PASS, I not only caught up to my classmates—I even surpassed many of them. Every summer, my friends used to tease me about going to “summer school,” but now they praise me for completing 10 full credits through the program.

Today, I’m just a few months away from graduation, with a 3.7 cumulative GPA and a spot in the top 10 of my class—an accomplishment I’m very proud of. I’ve been awarded an $11,000 PASS scholarship and I'll be attending the University of North Dakota this fall, where I’ll study business marketing.

Still, the cost of tuition, housing, and supplies weigh heavily on us. As a family of seasonal workers, we worry about how we’ll manage. I’m a first-generation college student, and while this experience is new for us, my parents have always encouraged me to aim higher than they ever could. Their motivation has carried me through high school and now into higher education.

Being a migrant has shaped who I am. It has taught me resilience, perseverance, and deep gratitude. Through constant transitions and countless obstacles, I learned to persist. My parents’ labor in the fields planted the seeds of determination in me. With that same work ethic, I’ve built a future they can be proud of.

Now, as a senior preparing for college, I’m motivated to make my family—and myself—proud. I’m ready to pursue the opportunities they worked so hard to give me.