My name is Gabriel Parra and I am from Michoacan, Mexico. I was born on March 6, 2003. I have three brothers and two sisters, and I am the youngest. We are all very close. My brothers and I have all worked from a young age. When I was 10 years old, I started working in furniture stores and with masons. I worked during every school break until I started high school. But shortly after I entered high school, my mother fell ill with cancer and passed away on April 27, 2018. This was very painful.
Time passed and I went back to school with the support of my siblings and relatives. I got up every day at 7am to get ready and go to classes. After my classes finished at 1:30pm, I went home. I was completely alone until my brothers returned from work between 10pm to midnight, depending on the job. I did my homework, made beds, tidied up rooms, and cooked. When my brothers came home, I would feed them, wash dishes, and wash their clothes. On some days, I finished everything at home and went to work for three or four hours. But I always did everything at home so that my tired brothers could eat, bathe, and rest from the long work day. On Sundays when they didn’t work, they helped me wash clothes, do dishes, or cook. We would buy food for the whole week, go watch soccer games, or do something fun.
In 2020, my siblings migrated to the United States due to the Mexican economy and lack of work opportunities. We assumed we would have a better type of life here. After my brother Abelino and I immigrated, my siblings enrolled me in high school in West Chicago. But last fall, I decided to travel to North Carolina to work with my brothers. I spent four months there as an electrician’s apprentice. I returned here recently to live with my sister because I want to graduate from high school.
One of my teachers, Mark Poulterer, flew to North Carolina and helped me return to school here. He has helped me with everything and always supported me. He even helped me get this job. I continue studying thanks to the support of my teacher, friends, and all my siblings.
