Although Jimena Duran Espinosa was born in Fairfield, a year later she moved to Guanajuato, Mexico, where she lived with her parents for 15 years. Last year, because her parents wanted her to have better opportunities, she and her older sister came back to Fairfield to live at her grandparents’ home. That led her to Armijo.

She left behind a lot, though, when she moved back to Fairfield. “My town was calm and the people were friendly,” she said. She misses her family in Mexico, but she also misses the food that she grew up with. While she is interested in staying in California, she does want to visit Mexico again. “I am just planning to visit my family.”

There are a lot of things that she appreciates, though, about Armijo. “I like the way the teachers  care about someone who doesn’t know how to speak English and supports me to improve in class,” she said. But it hasn’t always been easy. “In the first year we were online so it was difficult to make friends because of that.”

After she graduates, she plans to go to Solano College for a short time before moving on to a university that can offer the careers that interest her. “I am a creative person,” she said. “I love to draw and paint.” She also likes to listen to pop, reggaetón and bachata music.