College was not something that I ever thought could be possible. I came to this country with my mom when I was only seven months old. My biological father left my mom when he found out she was pregnant and never showed any support. The first three years of my life were difficult, there were times that I wouldn’t see my mom because she worked two jobs in order for her to provide for me. She then met my dad (the man who has really taken on the role of being my dad) and things got easier for both of us. I had someone who I could count on when my mom had to work and who could provide emotional support for both of us.

Growing up I never really understood what it meant not to have ‘legal status.’ I always knew that I was born in Mexico and that if anyone ever asked me questions I should not answer them. When high school came around and I started seeing that you needed a social security and proof of legal residence to apply for scholarships, financial aid and when you applied for school, I came to a realization that I might never be able to go any further than a high school diploma.

It was really disappointing for me because my mom had brought me to this country to better myself and for me to have an education. There was a time when I thought that everything that my parents had sacrificed for was not worth anything. So, during my sophomore year of high school, I really did not care about my education. I hardly went to school and failed three courses. Luckily for me, someone came into my life who gave me a whole different prospective on viewing things. I was assigned a mentor from UC Santa Cruz, she would come into my geometry class once a week and made sure that I was doing my work. She noticed that I was not into it at all and that I had zero motivation. One day she invited me to the campus after listening to our teacher tell us that in college we do not receive any help and it was just going to be double the work.

On our way to campus I explained to her why I thought college was not going to be for me and all she did was listen. The next day, we went to all her classes and I was surprised that her math class was about 200 students. She told me that when she didn’t understand something in class, she could get help at the campus. At the end of the day I was really excited knowing that I could also be living on campus, making new friends and getting a whole new experience. She then told me, “You are a smart young lady and you should never give up. Keep going forward and do not look back. I know that you will make it. I believe in you.” I came to realize that just because I did not have ‘legal status’ did not mean that I could not get the same experience as everyone else. I wanted to prove to everyone, especially myself, that I was able to accomplish my dreams even if it was going to be ten times more difficult.

My last two years of high school were really difficult. I took all the classes that I needed to take and during the summer I took a biology class through a local college in order for me to get the credits that I had missed during my sophomore year. June 8^th, 2012 came around and I had finally done it. I was able to graduate in the top 10 of my class and I was on my way to Sierra College. It was a very emotional day because I was the first in my family to graduate from high school and go to college. I remember seeing my parents cry because of how proud they were of me for never giving up.

During my four years of community college experience I started at Sierra College in Rocklin, CA, and then transferred to Hartnell College in Salinas, CA, and finally stayed in Monterey Peninsula College (MPC), in Monterey, CA. My dream was to go to school in the valley but things did not work out because it was hard for me to get a job. Then, I moved to Salinas with family members but it also did not work out for me. I decided to transfer to MPC because they offered many courses online and since I had moved back to Pescadero it was going to be easier for me. I did not want to transfer schools anymore and I really enjoyed going to a campus where I knew nobody and could meet new people, so I decided to make MPC my experience. In the spring of 2015, I meet with my counselor because I knew I would be ready to transfer to a four-year university. She explained to me that I also had the chance to graduate from MPC in spring of 2016 and I started crying.

I went with the intention to get guidance for me to transfer, and I came away with the knowledge that I was able to get my AA first. It was really emotional. I left her office and I called my mom and told her the news. I was the first one to going to college and now I would be getting an AA. I told her, “Mom, this is for you and all the sacrifices that you had to do in order for me to have this opportunity.”

Graduation came faster than I expected. Being in line, waiting for the moment where I was going to be walking across the stadium was nerve-racking. All I could think about was my parents, my siblings and all my friends who had come to support me. I thought about how only four years ago on a day like this I had graduated high school and now moments away I was going to graduate from community college on my way to a four-year university. I might not have gotten straight A’s but I was proud that a Latina woman who started from the bottom and overcame every obstacle that was put in her way was here.

Laura, center, with her brother Ivan and sister Abby.

When my name was read and I walked down to get my degree, I turned around and looked at my family; I was there because of them. I wanted my siblings to see that if I was able to accomplish this that they can accomplish anything they set their minds too. It was a really emotional day for my whole family. we cried and laughed. I dedicated my accomplishment to my parents and my siblings because they will always be my motivation. Getting an education involves dedication, sacrifice and commitment. I did not let my circumstance determine who I was or am going to become and I want my parents to see that their dedication, sacrifice, commitment and support was worth more than anything. We should always aim high, get up when we fall and dream like there are no borders.

Laura will attend California State University Monterey Bay in the fall, majoring in Pre-Law.

by Omar Ortega

In high school I was smart but I wasn’t in the classes and on the pathway to get into a four year college. When I was a senior, I finally found out about the A-G requirements which are all the classes I needed to even apply to a four year university. So I ended up applying to a community college. I knew I wanted to keep going beyond high school. I always knew that.

I knew from an early age that I wanted to go to college. I started to work when I was eight or nine, working with my dad doing landscaping. I wanted to help my parents and I knew just working wouldn’t help them to my maximum potential. With an education, I could reach my highest potential to help them. That’s always been my goal because my biggest debt is repaying my parents back for always supporting me. Later I found my own summer jobs, like painting barracks. I saw my dad always working hard and I wanted to make it easier for him–he never forced me to start working.

Omar at work at Puente

I’ve always appreciated how my parents influenced me but didn’t push me. They were so smart to let me decide that I wanted college for myself. I’ve always looked up to my dad because he’s super smart, knowing my dad came here when he was ten and then he graduated from high school. Learning that he did that–I was thirteen or fourteen when we were at my grandparents’ house and my dad got a big yellow envelope. It was for my dad, from the high school he went to and it was his high school transcripts. They were all As. That gave me the push–my dad came here and he did it all on his own. If he could do it, I could do it. He could have gone to college but he decided to have a family instead. I know in a way that he’s getting to experience college through me.

I’ve been on Foothill College for four years and it’s been the best experience. I wanted to go there not knowing anyone. I wanted to do something new and have the experience of being in a new environment. I knew if I hung out with my friends at school, I wouldn’t focus on my education.

I’ve worked the whole time I’ve been working on this degree. There were times when I was working full time, and sometimes I’d cut back my hours when classes were really hard. Puente was really flexible with my time and hours. It was one of the reasons I’ve been able to stay at Puente and be in school. Puente’s flexibility has helped me put college first, and I feel like I wouldn’t have gotten that anywhere else.

One of my favorite classes was probably Communications because that was where I got to crack out of my shell. Everyone’s biggest fear is public speaking and that’s all we did. Right now I’m in Calculus for Business and Economics.  I’m putting a lot effort into this class and I’m not getting a good grade. I think part of my problem in this class is a language barrier between me and my professor. Still, I’m putting so much effort into this class to find the best way to do well in the class.

Omar will graduate the last week of June with an Associates of Science (AS) in Business Administration. In the fall he will start at Cal State East Bay, majoring in Business Administration.

On June 2, the blossoming courtyard next to the Pescadero Country Store will again fill with farm tents laden with the freshest, brightest vegetables in San Mateo County — and smiling shoppers, live music and warm community vibes. To those who know it, the Pescadero Grown! farmers’ market is unlike any other. Just ask a farmer with beloved local organic producer Blue House Farm.

“Pescadero is the smallest market we do, and it feels like the heart of a community,” says Mary Hillemeier, harvest manager for Blue House Farm. “There’s a stronger sense of folks who are there to hang out with each other. The distance feels shorter and the connection feels tighter, more personal.”

That intimate, small-town quality has extended the Pescadero market’s reputation beyond the Coastside region. Last year’s market drew an average of 300 shoppers every Thursday, a new record. This year’s market occurs every Thursday from June 2 to October 27, from 3 to 7 p.m. Puente will raffle off an iPad on opening day.

Iris shops at the Blue House Farm booth in 2014

Hillemeier says she meets market shoppers as far away as San Francisco’s Mission District who ask her about the Pescadero market and say they are heading down here. “I think word is growing,” she says.

This year’s roster of vendors is a Who’s Who of market favorites from years past, along with some exciting newcomers. Blue House Farm is joined by market favorites Fly Girl Farm, Farmageddon, State Street Honey and Left Coast Grassfed. As always, all the delectable edibles are harvested or ranched within about 20 miles of the market itself. Open Eye Creations will display handmade art fashioned from driftwood. And Steadfast Herbs, a new local herb grower, hopes to sell their products as well.

The South Coast’s microclimates nurture a striking diversity of fruits and vegetables. Each week, something new pops out of the soil, and market shoppers bear witness as summer evolves into fall with a changing selection. Lettuces, cauliflower, broccoli, chard and kale are year-round staple crops, but fruits belong to summer. “Strawberries are in full force, and raspberries and blackberries are close behind,” says Hillemeier. Tomatoes, the biggest summer item, will start in early August and go through the rest of the season — including 15 varieties of heirloom tomatoes as well as sweet, dry-farmed Early Girl tomatoes.

Everyone has their favorites foods to look out for.

“I personally love the melons from Blue House. Everyone loves Fly Girl tomatoes. I also like duck eggs from Farmageddon,” says Charlea Binford, who wears two hats at Puente: Farmers’ Market Manager and Adult Education Coordinator.

But what many people love most about the market are the things you can’t buy – the small-town connection that draws neighbors together. You see it in the worshipful way children gather around Puente’s Bike Booth to watch a woman named Every repair the broken bikes people bring in on market day. (The Bike Booth will return this year).

You see parents talking to each other while their kids do crafting projects or play bean-bag toss. This year, the Half Moon Bay Library will be at the market every two weeks, reading to children. And twice this summer, on July 7 and September 1, locals are invited to play for 30 minutes at an open mic. Neighbors who never play in public reveal their hidden talents. That’s how the community discovered that a teacher in Puente’s ESL program plays the ukulele and writes her own music and that one of the bartenders at Duarte’s plays the violin and sings. That’s also how the community heard one of the long time participants in Puente’s La Sala program for farmworkers, Miguel, play his guitar and sing. (To sign up for the open mic, contact cbinford@mypuente.org.)

From connection to transformation

This year, Puente is adding a language exchange program to the market. Each week, five English speakers and five Spanish speakers will learn each other’s languages by engaging in freewheeling conversations. The project is an extension of Puente’s hit Cafecito program, a monthly happening during the ESL “school year.”

The conversations don’t just enhance English and Spanish language skills. They make the community a more integrated place. In Pescadero, the language barrier means Latino and Anglo neighbors see each other around town but don’t always say hello. The farmers’ market language exchange will give them plenty to discuss.

“There may be some awkward moments of not knowing what to talk about – that’s inevitable when you’re talking with a stranger in a language that you’re still learning. But there will be plenty of language prompts around. And you can point to the music or the vegetables you’re seeing,” says Binford, whose passion for education gave rise to the idea of helping motivated ESL students continue to learn over the summer. “It leads to friendships, job opportunities, and less fear,” she adds.

Puente needs some English-speaking volunteers for the language exchange.

Please contact Charlea Binford for details: cbinford@mypuente.org

Another unusual feature this year deepens the focus on community health connections. Puente’s community health workers, also known as Promotoras de Salud, will have a booth at the market once a month. They’ll work to break the stereotype that farmers’ markets are for Anglo shoppers only, a stereotype that doesn’t hold up in Pescadero. They will function as Spanish-speaking market guides for fellow Latinos, helping them take advantage of Puente’s Market Match, a discount program for low-income shoppers. They may also offer a recipe or two, and demonstrate ways to use market ingredients in Mexican cooking.

Pescadero Grown! tokens

“A lot of foods that are grown here that aren’t part of a traditional Latino diet, like brussels sprouts and kale. But this will be like having a friend there who you can trust to be that extra support in what may be a new environment,” says Molly Wolfes, Puente’s Community Health Coordinator.

The health promoters have become a familiar presence at far-flung farms and ranches, where they make for appointments for Puente’s onsite health clinic. Now locals will know they can visit the farmers’ market on the third week of the month and get connected to health resources. And while they’re there, they’ll learn how to buy and prepare the fresh food available in their community.

“I think it will help create more immersion of the two cultures in this community,” says Wolfes.

That’s quite a feat for a farmers’ market.

Join us at Pescadero Grown! every Thursday from June 2 to October 27, from 3 to 7 p.m., next to the Pescadero Country Store (251 Stage Road).