Stories of Lives Changed

I was born in Jicalan, Michoacan, Mexico. In 1958, at the age of 2 years, my parents brought me to the United States. I come from a big family. I have 5 brothers and 3 sisters and my mom and dad. Four of us were born in Mexico and five in the United States. Arriving from Mexico, the first place we lived was in Chula Vista, California and that is where our lives began as immigrants. We traveled through the states of California, Arizona, Utah, Oregon and Washington following the fieldwork. In 1970 my parents settled in a small village by the name of Outlook, near Sunnyside, Washington, but we continued working in the fields.

I have worked from the age of 7 years old - working in the field until I got married in 1979. My husband and I have 3 biological children and we are also raising 2 other children. We are very proud of all our children: Thomas, Patricia, Eva and Alejandro are grown and have graduated from University, and Nathaniel is 3 years old. Even when I was married, I was working at different ranches, even here at Broetje Orchards, picking cherries and apples. In 1987 I started working in the warehouse where I worked for 3 years. To help my parents I did not finish school. At the age of 12, I had to leave school to work alongside my dad in the fields. In 1990 I went to study for 3 weeks at WSU in Pullman to get my GED. Then I studied business for 1 year at Trend College in the Tri-Cities. When I graduated, I began to work in different areas at Broetje Orchards, until I began overseeing housing, services and other community programs offered through Snake River Housing. Story by Eva Madrigal