Tell us about your family’s roots.

My family’s roots are in El Salvador. We were campesinos (farmers) from La Joya, San Vicente, where my family lived for generations.

During the 1980s, the violence of the Salvadoran Civil War changed everything. My family was forced to leave La Joya after being pushed out by the militia. Around that same time, my grandmother endured unimaginable loss — her husband, my grandfather, and her oldest son were killed just three months apart from each other making staying at La Joya impossible.

With no safe way to remain in the countryside, my grandmother had no choice but to move the family to the city. We eventually settled in Cantón Antón Flores, San Vicente, where I grew up.

Our family’s story is one of resilience, survival, and starting over after tragedy. The sacrifices my grandmother made gave future generations, including me, the opportunity to build a new life while never forgetting where we came from.

What is your family’s migration story?

The civil war in El Salvador made everyday life impossible for my family. As violence and instability continued, my mother, my aunts and uncles had no choice but to leave for the United States in search of safety and the opportunity to build a future.

By 1992, my mother faced the hardest decision of her life. She left my younger sister and me in El Salvador with our grandmother so she could immigrate to the United States and work toward giving us a better life. I was barely two years old, and my sister was only a few months old.

My grandmother, who had already experienced tremendous loss during the war, was left to care for her youngest daughter and four granddaughters on her own. It was an enormous responsibility, but like so many Salvadoran families, we did what we had to do to survive.

Our family’s migration story is one of sacrifice, separation, and resilience. My mother’s decision to leave us behind was an act of love and hope. She believed that the temporary pain of being apart would one day give her children the chance to live in safety and pursue opportunities that were no longer possible in El Salvador.

What’s one memory, story, recipe, or item you and your family have carried with you?

The memory I carry with me is of Christmas in my grandmother’s adobe house in El Salvador. We didn’t have much, but I remember sitting on the floor with my cousins, eating panes rellenos and drinking Coca-Cola. It wasn’t a fancy celebration, but it was filled with laughter and a sense of belonging.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that those simple moments were everything. Whenever I think about that Christmas, I’m reminded of where I come from, the strength of my grandmother, and the importance of the bonds we shared. That memory keeps me grounded and reminds me that our greatest riches were never the things we owned, but the people who shared those moments with us.