As you grow up you always hear the saying “it takes a village to raise a child”, I never understood what that meant until I realized I was raised by a village. I was shown love by every one of my family members and I knew it of course, but I always felt like it was the women that were the foundation of that village, they were the ones holding it up and together.
The main woman who built the village from the ground up was my Nana Pima. She was the most incredible, beautiful, and loving woman that I have ever met. My Nana Pima came to Utah from a little small town in Mexico, she was very poor, and came with her four children and was pregnant with her fifth to meet up with my Tata Leo. She came here to better herself and her family and that is something I deeply admire. As years passed on and family grew up, it was finally my time to be born, and because my mom was a single parent who had to go work construction, my great grandparents took me in and helped raise me from a little baby til I was almost a preteen. Growing up with my grandparents wasn’t very different from any other Mexican household, any time they had visitors, my grandparents would make me greet them and offer them food or a drink. My Nana was somebody who was so special, she was a woman who could light up a room with just her smile, and she could give somebody a hug and you would feel all the love and warmth from it. She taught me so many things growing up but the most important ones were to be kind, to be respectful, and to be ambitious.
My grandma Dora is my Nana Pima’s first born daughter, I would say she’s just as amazing as my Nana. She came from Mexico with my Nana at only 5 years old and she told me she grew up everywhere but mostly Utah. My grandma got pregnant with my mom at only 15 years old and my family wasn’t very fond of it at first but of course my great grandparents swooped in to help. My grandma wasn’t able to graduate due to the circumstances of her situation but she ended up getting a very respectable job that made a decent living. My grandma is somebody who didn’t just stop because there was a hill in her way, she found a way to climb it and made it to the top. My grandma also helped raise me from a baby til now, she has made such a big impact on my life and how going to school and being successful is so important. She has spoiled me my entire life, she went from buying me toys whenever I wanted, clothes, etc. She also helped our family by helping with purchasing our house, our cars, and anything else we’ve needed. Anytime I think about my grandma, I think about a beautiful, strong, and determined woman. She showed me how to push myself to keep going, and to always help others.
My Nina Brenda, she’s the third daughter of my Nana Pima. My nina has been a huge influence in my life because she was like my second mom. She was there to take me to school, doctors appointments, parties, anything she had going on. I was there or vice versa. My Nina is very cheesy, she’s beautiful, she’s uplifting, and she’s always somebody you can depend on. Growing up with her she always taught me to say hi and shake our guests hand, if we were out in public it was always good to make small talk of any kind. I knew I always looked up to my Nina. I knew I wanted to be that girl with the bright smile who talked everywhere she went, the girl that uplifted other women because she knew what it felt like to be talked down on, or that girl that you could depend on for anything and everything. She always told me to build a community, you have to be able to give back to that community. The main things that I learned from her is to be respectful, to be kind, and to be yourself.
My mom, she’s the first born daughter and the first born granddaughter. My mom is so incredibly strong, literally and mentally. She is my biggest role model, my best friend, the woman who has shown me how important it is to keep going. My mom graduated from high school later on in life and graduated from college with honors. She went to school for five years to become a commercial plumber and now she’s currently a foreman at her job. She is so incredibly ambitious, she is strong, she is beautiful, she is somebody who I’ve looked up to my entire life. My mom raised my sister and I all by herself, she gave up her food even if it meant she went hungry, she would work and work and work but still manage to show up for the important things. My mom always finds a way to inspire me every single day, she shows me how important it is to show up and give everything your all, how to be selfless, and to always keep going even when you’re on the last straw.
My sister Crystal, she’s the first born daughter, granddaughter, and great granddaughter. My sister is another one of my role models, we’ve been attached to her since I was born and I truly wouldn’t ask for anybody else as my sister. Crystal inspires me to be better everyday and is one of my biggest cheerleaders. My sister is always there to help me, whether it be homework, picking out an outfit, or doing my hair for prom. She is an incredible sister, and even more incredible mother. My sister is somebody who has sacrificed multiple things just to help me out, she has done so much for me my whole life. I could never ask for a better sister, best friend, and my platonic soulmate. She’s shown me to have fun and to be myself, and how the little things do matter.
These women have shaped me into the person I am today, they all showed me different things and have taught me multiple things every single day but they always taught me to be me. They showed me how important family is and giving love to one another helps a person so much. These women are my people, my family, my village and I couldn’t ask for a better one.
The Hoot 
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