First Generation Stories

Leticia Hernández, Prosecutor for King County in Seattle, Washington

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

The beaming light in my parent’s eyes when they tell people “Mi hija es una abogada.”

What are your future goals?

La Lucha Sigue…continue the fight for equity and restorative criminal justice reform.

My family immigrated from Mexico in 1987. I was 4 years old. It is my earliest childhood memory. My uncle carried me on his back as we crossed the U.S.-Mexico border through rolling dessert terrain. I wore red Maryjane slippers that kept slipping off my tiny feet. After various attempts to keep them on, my uncle reluctantly gave up and left one single slipper behind. I like to say a part of me lives in the desolate dessert of the U.S.-Mexico border and that this marked me as a child of two nations. I was undocumented until the age of nine. My father courageously applied for permanent residency under the Reagan amnesty.

I grew up in an impoverished, rural community in Eastern Washington. I worked alongside my family in the fields since I was 12 years old to help make ends meet at home. We suffered through deplorable working conditions. We were subjugated to a less than humane existence. I retired from the fields at the ripe age of 16 years old after I was ran over by a tractor while harvesting cherries. Luckily, I survived. Growing up as a second-class citizen, my achievement rate was bleak; education was often discouraged and frowned upon for farm working immigrants. I was fortunate to have parents who encouraged our educational pursuits. It is these experiences of adversity and growing up as an immigrant in this country that has instilled in me a desire to fight for justice.

I perfectly remember the day the desire to be a lawyer was born in me. It was one of those hot summers, where the sun burned our skin, any attempt to cover us from its rays would be useless. I was mad at my Dad, because I didn’t understand at my young age what he was trying to teach me, and asked him “Why do you make us work in the fields?” He answered me “So that you know what hard work is and want to study.” Not satisfied, I continued “If you wanted us to study so much why didn’t you study?” He paused sadly, trying to formulate an answer, “Well … well, because in Mexico I was very poor and I didn’t have enough money to study.”

I, always being a very clever girl, recognized in my father’s response the voice of nostalgia for lost dreams. The unrealized dreams of a man who sacrificed whatever dreams he had to give his children better opportunities. The nostalgia of being a victim of their circumstances. But stubborn as I am, I continue ” If you could have studied, what would it have been?” Radiantly he answered me “Well, a lawyer.” And I ask him, “What is that?” My father’s response, ironically, planted in me the seed that bore fruit in wanting to be a lawyer and the one that I always keep in mind, “Well, it’s a person who learns the laws and protects those who cannot protect themselves.”

I was a teenager when the desire to become an attorney was planted in my heart by my father. It was the ardent dream to help those less fortunate than I which sustained me and carried me through minor and major setbacks. I became a single mother after leaving an abusive relationship with my daughter’s father. My daughter became my beacon of hope. She gave me the motivation to continue to believe in my dream. Against all odds, I completed my bachelor’s degree and continued onto law school. I was relentless in my aspirations to change the legal landscape.

Today, I am a Prosecutor for King County in Seattle, Washington. I give back to my community by mentoring the next generation of Latinx lawyers and most recently I received the Spirit of Service Award from my alma mater and the Latinx Law Student Association. It recognizes a member of the Latina/o alumni community who is deeply committed to creating a more just and humane world. I was selected for my work in fostering justice, promoting equal representation in the justice system, and ensuring that the underrepresented are given a voice. I paid tribute to my parents because this award honors their sacrifice which allowed me the opportunity to pursue and attain my goal of becoming a fearless advocate for my community. In the words of the belated Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “To make life better for people less fortunate than you, that’s what I think a meaningful life is. One lives not just for oneself but for one’s community.”

Norma, Harvard Graduate and Host of How to College First Gen Podcast

What are your future goals?

1. Start or buy a business before I turn 40 years old
2. Write a memoir in honor of my mother and Godmother before I turn 35
3. Run for elected office in Houston, Texas

I was born in Mexico to a single mother who mother who held three jobs to support us. Mom and I were literally and figuratively hungry for a better life, one with an actual opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty that we were destined to experience. This ultimately led us to immigrate to Houston in the back of an eighteen-wheeler looking for the American Dream. Growing up undocumented, however, I questioned the American Dream as I saw the income inequality and structural racism in this country. I saw many of my high school friends drop of our high school and how others’ dreams banished in the juvenile and immigration systems. I saw families work so hard and still live below the poverty line. This was the impetus that led me to work for change in my community.

I knew from a young age that I had been given the opportunity and privilege to be in this country and to know the language. This meant that I had the responsibility to be all for my family. Growing up, I was the translator, the immigration lawyer, doctor, tax specialist, and teacher (all with no degrees in those fields). I know that some children see doing all these things for their parents as a burden, but let’s be real there will never be enough things that I can do to thank my mother for all of her sacrifices.

This obviously turned me into a type A personality that must always have a plan with multiple options. For me a “no” has never been a definite “no” as I learned how to solve complex problems from a young age. All of these things have instilled a great sense of responsibility, as I know that my actions, time, and resources are shared with my family. In addition, my immigration story has inspired me to take on many initiatives to create more access and opportunities for immigrant children and first generation college students. I know what it is like to have your family turn to you for all the answers, and I believe it is crucial to build community because we really don’t have all the answers, but together we can support each other in our journeys.

I started my first non-profit at age 19 that has helped over 400 students in the Houston-area become the first ones in their families to attend college. I then went on to help open Café- College Houston, a one-stop shop that provides educational guidance to all members in the community (they help about 6000 students per year pre-covid). I also worked for a school district helping them raise over $3 million dollars to support first generation college students to and through college in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. I returned to the private sector this fall, but I continue the work of democratizing education for first generation college students through my podcast- How to college first gen (@howtocollegefirstgen).

Sophia (@corporateperolatina)

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Leaving my comfort zone to start from zero in NYC and overcoming the adversity that I’ve encountered ever since to “make it”.

I am a Mexican American, first generation college graduate. I was raised in Texas, for the most part, and decided to move to NYC on my own at 19 y/o during my Sophomore year of college. Because of my ambitious decision, I graduated with $100k+ in student debt but I’d do it all over again if I had to. I graduated with a BA degree in Accounting with a minor in Sociology and currently work in consulting at one of the Big 4 CPA firms in NYC. That last sentence is one that 8 year old me could’ve never imagined saying. To this day, I am the only person in my family that has a corporate job in the US and that can come with a variety of assumptions and expectations. I am where I am today because of the grit and the values that I took on from different members of my family. I work in an industry that is white-male dominated (at least in NYC) and I haven’t left because I aspire to be one of many Latina trailblazers in corporate America!

Both my parents were immigrants but my mom decided to move back to Mexico eventually, where her whole side of the family lives. My dad, who stayed in TX, is the epitome of the American Dream. However, I grew up with two very conflicting life lessons from my parents. My two siblings and I lived with my mom for a few years in Mexico when I was in elementary school and all I can ever remember is watching her struggle financially and emotionally. Living paycheck to paycheck, and being racked up in debt, she still tried to give us as much as she could. She wasn’t around much so my grandma and my two uncles helped raise us since we all lived in the same house.

My siblings and I always think back to those years and remember being so careful not to be the one to finish the orange juice or like the cereal, because apparently those were commodities at the time. We were very snacky kids but always knew that we sort of had a limit when it came to the pantry, and this was was just sort of an unspoken rule between us. However, my mom always taught us to help those in need even when you’re struggling yourself.

My dad, on the other hand, is the parent that says, “protect your wallet”. He came to the US with nothing and through service jobs, sales jobs, and side hustles, he has created a good life for himself and has developed an understanding about wealth creation in the US. Because of the hardships he endured throughout his “American dream” journey, he has the mentality that assumes anybody who wants something hard enough in the US and works hard enough/sacrifices can succeed. I often remind him to not forget where he came from. Although my parents have two very different stories that I grew up learning from, the one thing I am most grateful for is that I was taught to “hustle” as hard as I have to for the things that I really want in life.

When I was little, “me quede con las ganas” of a lot of things/experiences because they weren’t within our budget. I am now in a position where I can continue to develop myself professionally and eventually give back to those who hustled when I depended on them.

CPA and Financial Roots Founder

What are your future goals?

Through Financial Roots I want to provide financial literacy specifically through the lens of a first-generation college graduate and professional, because our personal finances are as unique as our experiences.

I am the daughter of first-generation immigrants, a first-generation college graduate, first generation professional and founder of @financial_roots. My parents arrived in the United States with absolutely nothing but hope. Like many immigrants who arrive to the US they did not speak the language, had no family in the US, had no educational background and were undocumented. Despite all their challenges the dream of building a better life for our family kept them going. Today they are US residents who managed to put my 3 siblings and I through College. They are my definition of self-made.

The work ethic that my parents instilled in me led me to start working at age 15 and pursue a full-time college education while having a part-time job. I joined the corporate world in 2015 after graduating from Baruch College with my master’s in Accounting. I also became part of the 3% of Hispanics that are Certified Public Accountants.

Growing up as part of a mixed status family taught me that when given the resources and support, we all have so much to offer and contribute to this country and our communities, regardless of our immigration status. My parents showed me how perseverance and sacrifice can lead to success. However, when it came to personal finances, I had to figure that out on my own. I know how stressful it could be and so I decided to start @financial_roots.