Throughout high school and college, Jennifer Rocha would plant strawberries with her parents from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. Then she’d sleep a few hours and get ready for school.
But she never complained or slacked off; she said she knew she was making her immigrant parents proud.
On June 13, Rocha graduated from the University of California, San Diego, and she wanted to honor her parents’ hard work. So she coordinated a photo shoot in the strawberry fields they worked night after night.
“Through drops of sweat, tears, back aches, they were able to get their three daughters through college. They deserve all the recognition in the world and for them to be an inspiration to other immigrant parents in the same circumstance as they are that it is not impossible for their kids to chase their dreams,” Rocha told USA TODAY.
Rain, cold or heat, her parents worked – a quality she adopted as she juggled college courses, studying and work. Rocha admitted some days were more difficult than others, especially when she’d sit in class with an aching back from a long night of work.
In her college career, when she felt like quitting Rocha said she’d think back to her work in the fields and what her degree would mean to her family.
“When I would come back to work in the fields it humbled me and was a reminder as to why I need to get that degree,” Rocha said.
Rocha hopes her photos bring awareness to the farmworker community and the impact of their work. She said it’s easy for Americans to pick up vegetables and fruits from the grocery store without appreciation for the workers who made it possible. .
“Farmworkers do not deserve to be paid minimum wage. They worked throughout the whole pandemic risking their health and risking the health of their families not knowing if they would come home with something,” Rocha said.
Rocha’s senior photos quickly gained social media attention, with hundreds praising Rocha’s pride in her heritage and farmworker family. If there was one message people took away from seeing her photos, Rocha hopes it’s that anything is possible.
“No matter if your parents work in domestic labor jobs where the pay is minimum wage, with hard work, sacrifice, discipline, and dedication it can be done,” Rocha said.
Rocha plans to go into law enforcement to “care for the community how it deserves to be cared for.”
