catesol22_plenary-alfaro
Thursday Plenary
Harvesting Dreams: Defying the Odds to Achieve the American Dream
Erica Alfaro
Thursday, September 29, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
In 2019, photographs of a young Hispanic girl, dressed in a graduation cap and gown, standing in a field with her farm worker mother and father, went viral. It was Erica Alfaro who, in celebration of having completed her master's degree, decided to honor the sacrifices of her parents by taking her graduation pictures in the field where they had worked long hours to provide her with an education.
This is the testimony of a young woman who spent her childhood between Mexico and the United States, subjugated by a marked border line and economic disparity. This is the testimony of a girl who never believed she could achieve great goals, for she always felt she was less than a man. She didn't know how to speak English. She was a teenage mother and a victim of domestic violence who, after years of many adversities, managed to reinvent herself and become the woman she is today—someone who has achieved everything she thought was impossible.
Book signing will follow presentation.
Erica Alfaro is a keynote speaker, award-winning author, and education advocate. She earned her master’s in Education with a concentration in Counseling as well as a Mental Health Recovery and Trauma-informed Care certificate from San Diego State University. Erica received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California State University San Marcos and an office professional administrative certificate from MiraCosta Community College. She is currently part of the human resources department of one of the largest fields in the area of North County, California. Erica focuses her spare time on advancing the opportunities of other women and children in her community by giving them hope and inspiring them to dream big.