By: Johnny Vu
To some, family is a source of happiness. They can provide solace in your life, a safe haven you can trust. To others family is a source of agony, resentment, and deceit. The former applies to 16-year old Jennifer Sanchez and her relationship with her dad.
“He’s always been there for me and for the things I have, I really appreciate them because he has worked really hard to give it to me.” She said.
One of her favorite moments was when she got a surprise party for her fifteenth birthday.
“When I turned 15, they gave me a surprise party. We had the best time being there with my family.” She said.
This happiness would be short-lived as her parents would split when she was 7-years old. She would now only get to see her dad on the weekends. This routine would go on until she moved to San Jose, C.A. with her mom at ll-years old. After a year of living in San Jose, she moved back to Washington to live with her dad.
The thing that kept her motivated at the time was joining volleyball in seventh grade. Joining volleyball made her focus more on school and towards getting good grades. In eighth grade, she also joined soccer.
“Volleyball actually motivates me to do something, if I don’t do it I would probably be lazy," she said.
This would be for naught as she stopped caring about sports and about school. When she got into high school, she didn’t care about her grades anymore and would skip a lot.
“I just gave up, like this is not gonna take me nowhere. What made me stop was the problems at home, I had a lot going through my mind," she said.
On March 5 2019, her dad moved permanently back to Mexico. With this news, her mom decided to fly her back to San Jose. Though her dad’s moving to Mexico has deeply affected her, she now is changing her view on herself and school. Now she cares more about her well-being and school.
“The fact that my dad left, I’m just trying my best. I’m doing it all for him.” She explains on why she changed.
After high school she plans to join the military and become a registered nurse. When asked if she would go back to Washington she replied with; “Yes, I am, like next year because I have all my family there.”
To some, family is a source of happiness. They can provide solace in your life, a safe haven you can trust. To others family is a source of agony, resentment, and deceit. The former applies to 16-year old Jennifer Sanchez and her relationship with her dad.
“He’s always been there for me and for the things I have, I really appreciate them because he has worked really hard to give it to me.” She said.
One of her favorite moments was when she got a surprise party for her fifteenth birthday.
“When I turned 15, they gave me a surprise party. We had the best time being there with my family.” She said.
This happiness would be short-lived as her parents would split when she was 7-years old. She would now only get to see her dad on the weekends. This routine would go on until she moved to San Jose, C.A. with her mom at ll-years old. After a year of living in San Jose, she moved back to Washington to live with her dad.
The thing that kept her motivated at the time was joining volleyball in seventh grade. Joining volleyball made her focus more on school and towards getting good grades. In eighth grade, she also joined soccer.
“Volleyball actually motivates me to do something, if I don’t do it I would probably be lazy," she said.
This would be for naught as she stopped caring about sports and about school. When she got into high school, she didn’t care about her grades anymore and would skip a lot.
“I just gave up, like this is not gonna take me nowhere. What made me stop was the problems at home, I had a lot going through my mind," she said.
On March 5 2019, her dad moved permanently back to Mexico. With this news, her mom decided to fly her back to San Jose. Though her dad’s moving to Mexico has deeply affected her, she now is changing her view on herself and school. Now she cares more about her well-being and school.
“The fact that my dad left, I’m just trying my best. I’m doing it all for him.” She explains on why she changed.
After high school she plans to join the military and become a registered nurse. When asked if she would go back to Washington she replied with; “Yes, I am, like next year because I have all my family there.”