"Mayra Jimenez Almaras was 8 when she came to the U.S. from Mexico with her parents and two siblings. At 11, she was working long hours under the scorching sun in the Brentwood fields, picking green beans and packing corn. Those days are now behind her as the 21-year-old prepares to graduate from Saint Mary's College of California in December with a bachelor's degree in finance."
"Through the nonprofit, Jimenez Almaras not only received support for her college application but also a laptop. That same laptop not only helped Jimenez Almaras, but also her mom, who later used it to complete a community health worker certification program through Hijas del Campo. Now, Jimenez Almaras's mother no longer works in the fields, but instead in an elderly care home."
"As a way to give back to the organization that helped her family, Jimenez Almaras works as a community health worker with Hijas del Campo, which, translated from Spanish, means "daughters of the field." The Contra Costa County-based nonprofit aims to help migrants, seasonal farmworkers, and their families to improve their lives, working conditions, health, and safety. Their work focuses on food security, health care, housing, education, workers' rights and legal aid."
Mayra Jimenez Almaras arrived in the U.S. from Mexico at age eight and worked in Brentwood farm fields from age eleven, picking green beans and packing corn. At 21, she is set to graduate from Saint Mary's College of California with a bachelor's degree in finance. She serves as a community health worker with Hijas del Campo to support migrants, seasonal farmworkers, and their families on food security, health care, housing, education, workers' rights, and legal aid. The nonprofit provided college-application assistance and a laptop that enabled her mother to complete a community health worker certification and leave field labor for elder care work; her siblings have also pursued education and teaching careers.
Read at The Mercury News
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