For so long, Guadalupe Pacheco was afraid. When her family moved
to the United States from Mexico, she feared learning a new
culture.
For so long, Guadalupe Pacheco was afraid. When her family moved to the United States from Mexico, she feared learning a new culture. From her first day of third grade at Antonio Buono Elementary School in Gilroy, she was afraid to speak to her classmates because she knew almost no English.
She constantly feared what people would say if they found out she was an illegal immigrant.
“They didn’t know,” Pacheco, 18, said. “I just acted the same as them. If I told them I was an illegal person, they’d probably make fun of me. I just kept it to myself.”
Her teachers had to translate lessons from English to Spanish so she could understand them, and she would spend countless hours after school learning how to speak the new language from her friend’s father.
As an illegal resident, Pacheco was also afraid of a life without a college education.
Even if she was accepted to a university, Pacheco didn’t think she would ever be able to afford it. Her parents – who make a living planting and picking crops – couldn’t help her pay for school. As an illegal resident, Pacheco couldn’t qualify for financial aid.
“I never thought I’d be going to a CSU or a UC. I thought I was just going to finish high school and that was it,” she said.
Even though she never pictured herself in a college dorm room, Pacheco challenged herself in the classroom.
In just one year’s time, Pacheco’s life has flipped for the better.
In August, she earned permanent resident status – informally referred to as a green card – which she said her entire family now possesses as well. It allowed her and her 3.8 GPA to apply to colleges and for financial aid without fear.
She remembers vividly the day she was accepted to the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she will major in psychology beginning this fall.
“I just got accepted to UC Santa Cruz!” she recalls yelling inside a quiet GHS library in January.
Pacheco was even too excited to heed the “Shush” of library clerk Freddie Spencer. The youngest of five children, Pacheco will be the first person in her family to attend college.
“There’s not enough words to express how I feel about her,” said GHS Academic Coordinator Jackie Valdez. “She has a big heart and is extremely hardworking.”
Pacheco didn’t take an easy route to her academic success. She didn’t shy away from high-level, intensive academic courses such as AP Calculus and AP Government/Economics.
She didn’t coast, Valdez said. It’s been that way since Pacheco was a freshman.
“I remember her from freshmen year. Her grades were like ‘Oh, my God,’ ” Valdez said, referring to Pacheco’s report cards, riddled with A’s.
“She challenges herself. She’s not afraid to work hard. It’s amazing to see in a student.”
Pacheco said she just followed Valdez’s advice.
“My counselor always said, ‘Just try your best,’ ” she said. “I was just trying to fit in with all the smart people.”
Pacheco said it was support from Valdez that turned her into the student she is. She said she’d like to become a counselor someday and inspire students in the same fashion.
“I want to be like her – just help other people,” Pacheco said. “She’s the one that actually supports me and tells me every day I can do everything I want and I can succeed in life.”
Those inspirations were present in Pacheco’s speech at GHS’ 2011 graduation ceremonies. She began to cry as she read her speech in Spanish, passionately announcing that every person was born to be successful in life.
Her sister-in-law, Monique Pacheco, said its message she fully embodies.
“She is the best student there will ever be,” Monique said. “She’s never given up.”
