Photos a recent California college graduate took with her parents in the fields where they worked as migrant farm laborers went viral this week, after her school shared the images and the story of her journey on the Facebook page.
Jessica Rocha graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with a degree in sociology on Saturday. In the post, Rocha said her parents came from Michoacan, Mexico, and that while she was growing up, they had her work in the fields alongside them.
She started working in the fields in high school after classes. "I admired the workers because they kept working despite backaches while files, mosquitos and bugs kept roaming their faces, getting into their eyes," she said," Nobody thinks about nor sees what happens behind a vegetable you grab at the grocery store. But behind it is someone who breaks their backs every day working in the fields. "
She continued to work in the fields on weekends and school breaks even after she left for college and had a job with the University of California Police Department. She credited her parents. "Many times I wanted to give up, but my parents and their pieces of advice and support were the reason I kept going," Rocha said." If it wasn't for how my parents raised me, I don't know who I would be today," she added," Working in the fields builds a different type of character, a character that does not give up, and one with resilience (韧性) and strength to face challenges."
