Family is everything in a pandemic

While several students opted to return to school in April, siblings Emily and Mauricio Esperanza chose to continue in distance learning.  Both of them celebrate birthdays in May, but they share a lot more in their education experience.

Emily, who is a sophomore, has no problems sharing the Armijo experience with her brother, who is a junior. “I feel like the best thing about having a sibling at school with me would be always having a friend with you,” she said. “Everybody, every teacher, would know that Mauricio and I are related, but we in fact never got the same teachers, I believe.”

Not everything is ideal when they are sharing the campus, however. Emily said, “I would say the worst thing about sharing the campus with my brother would be that he’s too protective and always telling me to get to class on time.”

They haven’t spent a lot of time together on Armijo’s campus yet, but they attended elementary and middle school together. “COVID has definitely affected my point of view on school because everything is hard to do online,” said Emily. “It was much easier in person.”

After Mauricio graduates in 2022, though, they will go their separate ways educationally. “I plan on opening my own stores in Mexico after I graduate and studying for being a nurse,” said Emily. “The things that interest me would be traveling and exploring the world, just being at peace and in a good environment.”

Emily is the only girl in a family with four children. In addition to Mauricio, she has a 14-year old brother named Christopher and a 10-year old brother named Axel. “I’m just an outgoing and funny person because they always remind me,” she said. That attitude has probably helped her stay positive in a crazy world.