While Vanessa Rivas Ceja was born in the United States, she spent some of her young life in Michoacán, Mexico. She and her family moved there when she was about four and they spent several years there.

In 2016, she moved back to the United States with her brother and her sister followed soon afterward, but she misses her mother who stayed behind.

Rivas remembers that there were a lot of houses where she lived and her family lived on a ranch, but she was glad to move. “I like it here and I had a lot of bullying at my school,” she said.

One of the things that made the transition back to the United States is the attitude of her teachers. “The teacher helped a lot when I needed it,” she said. “I love my teacher the most.”

When she graduates from Armijo, Rivas plans to go back to visit her mother for a while as she thinks about college. She plans to return to California and attend Solano, but may move back to Mexico when she is done with her education.