This past Sunday, March 13, the Central Coast communities had the opportunity to meet Dr. Francisco Jiménez at the Guadalupe town hall. In a special presentation sponsored by PCPA, the community was able to hear the moving stories of Dr. Francisco Jiménez and Octavio Solís. The presentation was facilitated by Samuel Duarte, community leader and poet, as well.

Professor Jiménez’s visit is particularly special because he is the author of Cajas de carton, Senderos fronterizos, Más allá de mí and several other books that our students read in Spanish classes. In his autobiographical books, the author narrates his life as an immigrant student in this country from his beginnings in elementary school through college and postgraduate education. His stories are particularly special because for the first time, our SMHS students hear the voice of a boy who immigrated with his family from Tlaquepaque, Mexico and attended Santa Maria schools such as El Camino Junior High and Santa Maria High School. Listening to these stories, our students can identify themselves because they read about that boy (Francisco) who arrives in Santa Maria without knowing a word of English. Not knowing English was one of the most difficult experiences Francisco had to overcome, as was working long hours in the fields as his parents did in order to survive.

Being farm workers, Francisco and his family had to constantly move to follow the harvests in different places on the Central Coast. The constant moves made it even more difficult for him to learn English and to be able to focus completely on his education.

However, despite the obstacles, Francisco persevered and thanks to his tenacity with many sacrifices and discipline he managed to graduate from Santa Clara University. From there he graduated with a BA and then a Ph.D. from Columbia University in Latin American Literature. His autobiographical stories have received many awards and have been published in various languages such as Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, among others. His work has been published in more than one hundred anthologies and literature texts. Not for nothing was he selected as Professor of the Year in 2002 by CASE (Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching) and has also received countless awards.

For this reason, it was a privilege and honor to be able to talk and listen to Professor Francisco Jiménez this past Sunday. But more important than that was the opportunity for our SMHS students to meet him in person. Upon meeting him in person, they realized Francisco Jiménez’s humanity and how he continues to carry in his heart the humility of that child who made his experiences the drive to inspire future generations of students like him. As he said in the talk, “I write with the idea that what I write is really the experience of many people…When we tell our stories, we make those connections that separate us from each other.” He could not have expressed it in a better way since, without a doubt, Francisco Jiménez story is my story, as a person who emigrated to this country at a young age. It is not only my story, but it continues to be the story of many of our students who, like Francisco, face the challenges of learning English as a second language, come from a low-income family, and have parents that never had a formal education and, because of that, working in the fields is perhaps the only option. But there is hope, and Francisco reminds us of it. Francisco encourages, inspires, and reminds us that despite the difficulties nothing is impossible, and every goal can be achieved if you work hard.

Nora Reyes, a student at SMHS, also thinks that way. She said, “I was very inspired to meet Francisco because his story is like the stories my mom used to tell me. My mom talked to him and thanked him because she told him that reading her stories gave her pride and hope that me and my sister can succeed.”

Similarly, Jimena Rojas, a student at SMHS, commented, “For me, meeting Francisco Jiménez was a pleasure because it was the first time, I saw him personally. I am also happy to have met him because he is a person who has motivated me to continue with my studies despite the obstacles”.

So, if you’re the first generation to graduate from high school or college and doubt your potential, his books are for you. Francisco’s stories will inspire you not to give up and show you that, just like Francisco Jiménez who attended Santa Maria High School, learned English as a second language, graduated, went to college, and ended up being successful as a teacher and author. Likewise, you can do it. Look around you, each one of us is Francisco Jiménez. Each of us has a story to tell and goals to accomplish. It’s possible! If Francisco did it, you can too. It’s just up to you to decide.

You can find out more about Dr. Francisco Jiménez by visiting his professor page at Santa Clara University College of Arts and Sciences:  https://www.scu.edu/fjimenez/

A special thank you goes out to our school translator, Liliana Espinoza, for helping publish this article in English.