My name is Jessica Aguirre. I’m a 16 year old student at Sunnyside High School. My goals out of high school are to go to college. Right now my main goal is to try and become a dentist or something in the medical field. I would like to go to college somewhere close. I don’t want to leave for somewhere halfway across the country. 

I’m Wes Barbour, a 21 year old graduate of Highline College. I aspire to be an interpreter for either the medical field or the court system, or both. I’m interested in trying to see how the world works, before and after graduating.

My name is Kenia, I am from El Salvador. I have been in the US for a year. We came here for the American Dream, the same idea that many immigrate here for; to improve their own family’s economy, new opportunities and a better life.

My name is Benjamin Gonzalez. I arrived in Washington about 11 years ago. I started taking ESL classes and recently received my GED. I work in the fields and started studying social work at Yakima Valley College.

My name is Sarai. I decided to go to community college because it is close to my house, and it makes it easy to continue working at my current job as a waitress at a restaurant. My professional goals as of now is exploring whether I want to be a teacher or a nurse. It is hard to finance and balance school because of how expensive school is, the high costs of living and having to take care of my kids.

My name is Aleniad. I am student at Highline College. I’m Mexican and I also identify with American culture since I’ve been living here since I was five years old. My family moved to Washington, it was because things got hard in Florida. The environment wasn’t very welcoming, so coming to Washington felt like a new beginning—a place with opportunities I never saw before. I knew this was the right place for me.

My name is Jeriah Lawler. I am going into education because through some experiences, I found a meaning and a way to impact kids’ lives positively. I decided to attend Everett Community College because it was the cheaper option. I also got a job that made me realize my future job aspirations required a degree. I want to become a middle school teacher.

My name is Diana Pinon. I am the oldest sibling and daughter in a family of four. I am also a first generation college and university graduate. I attended Everett Community College and transferred to Washington State University to obtain my bachelors in communications.