Erica Alfaro, whose graduation photo went viral internationally when it was taken with her parents, in the fields of Southern California where they have worked most of their lives, presented her book Harvesting Dreams in which he tells his story.
“When the photo went viral, many people were interested in the story behind it, and asked me if by any chance I would have a book. From there, I set my goal to write it.”
Erica graduated with her master’s degree in education in 2019, five years later, she launched her book Harvesting Dreams at the Arroyo Seco Library in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.
“Harvesting Dreams It starts with my parents’ story and continues with mine,” Erica tells The opinionminutes before presenting his book.
“I was born in Fresno, California. My parents are from Oaxaca, from the Mixteca area of Santiago Asunción. “My dad and my mom met in Tijuana, and then they came to work in the fields,” he says.
Claudio Alfaro and Teresa Herrera had three children, who accompanied their parents through the different fields where their work took them. Erica is the middle child.
“Because my mother was deported in 1997, we returned to live in Tijuana for a while. Then my father took over the residence and then my mother; “We returned to the United States when I was a teenager.”
Erica graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the university Cal State San Marcos; Then he finished his master’s degree in education at San Diego State University (SDSU).
“When I graduated from my master’s degree, I took a photo with my parents in one of the fields where they once worked,” says Erica.
And she explains that it was important for her to do so because her parents always told her that if she wanted a better life, she should study.
“My mother especially gave me that advice once we were in that field,” says Erica.
And he reveals that one summer, when he was about 14 years old, he worked in the field with his parents.
Why is it important for immigrants or children of immigrants born in this country to know your story?
“I want them to see that we can also achieve great goals, and it is important to have more good stories about us, because when I graduated, there was a lot of negative talk about us Hispanics, I wanted to give a positive representation of who we are.”
And his message to undocumented young people, who are hesitating whether or not to go to university, due to their lack of status, says that they should know that no one can take away their education.
“If for some reason you return to Mexico or the country where you are from, you will always have the study with you, and you have the ability to start over. Do not give up, and do not be discouraged, you cannot be thinking that a tragedy will come; And what if an opportunity comes, it is better to be prepared or not be prepared.”
He also invited them to fight for their dreams. “Everything is possible as long as they are willing to work for them.”
He remembers that the biggest advice his parents gave him when he was growing up was to study so that they would have the opportunities that they could not access.
“Education was something important in our house, they always told us that it was important that we study, that we wanted to.”
And he remembers that he saw his father arrive home after work in the field with his old clothes, and tired, but he never complained about the work.
Her father Claudio, who accompanied Erica to the presentation of Harvesting Dreamsexpressed his pride in his daughter.
“He has achieved what we never could. We were always dedicated to working in the field. “We’ve been to a lot of places, not just here in California.”
His mother Teresa remembers that one day when he was working cutting tomatoes, he came home green.
“I had to cook for them and while I was eating, I asked them, ‘children, please don’t fail me, don’t turn into cholos or drug addicts, don’t pay me badly, look at how I am, I’m doing this for you, because I want you to study, to work in an office, that is my goal with you, please behave well, don’t pay me badly.’ They listened to me. “They didn’t say anything, they didn’t answer me.”
Teresa is more than happy because two of her children are college graduates, and the youngest is attending college.
“When my oldest son graduated, he hugged me and told me, you’ve already fulfilled your dream, I’m never going to work in the fields. He made me cry.”
Erica and her parents currently live in Oceanside, San Diego County. Her father now works in landscape (landscaping) and his mother continues to work in the fields in Valley Center near Oceanside.
“Currently I am a speaker and owner of my own human resources consulting business,” says the author of Harvesting Dreams.
Erica dropped out of high school, was a teenage mother and victim of domestic violence who, after many adversities, managed to reinvent herself and become the woman she is today, someone who has achieved everything she thought was impossible.
You can find more of his story in his book Harvesting Dreams on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or at the Los Angeles City Libraries.