# data[].attributes.body
My name is Virginia Araujo Acosta. I was born in Mexicali, Baja, California. My father is from Sinaloa, and my mother is from Mexicali. I did my preschool to second grade at Mexicali. I don't remember much, but we played many Mexican dances, did many projects and presentations, and parents were always involved. Also, professors were more strict than in the United States. I consider these years the more beautiful years of my life because back then, my parents let us play outside with our neighbors after we went out of school. We all played outside with our bicycles, and I always pretended to be the group's teacher. Since I was little, my dream has always been to become a teacher.

# data[].attributes.body
At the age of eight, my life changed drastically, my family decided to move to the United States, and we came to live in Calexico, CA. It's a borderland which is next to Mexicali. Still, only one fence divided Mexicali and Calexico, but everything changed once I crossed that fence. I left my friend, aunts, and cousins on the other side of the wall. I started Dool Elementary in third grade. I didn't know the language; I was an English learner. I was the new girl in school without friends, and adapting to the speech was tough. I remember having a professor who didn't speak Spanish, and doing my assignments was hard. Later on, I learned English with practice. I did third to sixth grade at Dool Elementary, and I remember having good teachers who helped me learn.

# data[].attributes.body
Once I graduated from sixth grade, I moved to seven grade, and my school was Enrique Camarena Junior high, located in Calexico. I did seven grade and eight grade in this school. When I started seventh grade, I had a lot of friends, and we would go out a lot. I didn't care much about my education, so I failed almost all my classes. I was not too fond of math; I thought I wasn't good at it, and science was complicated. I didn't do that good because I was not hanging out with the right people. I did things that I shouldn't have done at a young age. Like everyone makes mistakes in life, but we should learn from our mistakes and don't repeat them. I was not doing good in my education, but this changed when I entered my 9th-grade year. My life changed for the better.

# data[].attributes.body
At the school De Anza 9th grade Academy, my life changed significantly, and it directed my whole life. I became pregnant this year, and my teachers were the more supportive people. They motivated me to become a teacher and continue my education. I started to love math, science, history, and all other subjects. I became a straight-A student, and I was involved a lot in school. Since I was pregant, I didn't have P.E, and I was sent to special education classes to help the professors. I started practicing the position of professor, and I loved it. This year also, my daughter was born. I never stop from my education thanks to my parents; they help me take care of my daughter. I am thankful to all the professors who helped me and motivated me to continue my education.

# data[].attributes.body
During my High School years, I attended Calexico High School. I continued studying while I was also a mother of a baby girl. I am going to admit it was very stressful and difficult. Sometimes I thought that I was different from all of those students going to school because, at a young age, I had a huge responsibility. Also, when my friend would go out, I couldn't. I always say no because I have a person to take care of. Meanwhile, I feel different from my classmates. I always concentrated in class and wanted to learn more and more. I also had a lot of support from my professors, and they motivated me even more to attend college, and I was afraid of thinking of college because I was going to be the first person in my whole family to graduate High School and attend a community college. I believed that I could do whatever I wanted, and I did.  I graduated from Calexico High School in 2016.

# data[].attributes.body
I started my college years in August 2016 and graduated with an Associate's Degree in liberal studies. Then I transferred to a University. During my college years, I learned a lot, and I also started to know myself more. What I wanted, what I liked, what I wanted in my life, those questions come into my mind. I stopped my education after I ended my first semester because I was pregnant. I was going to have my second baby, and that year, I got married. It was a year full of emotions, but I took a break for one year. After having my second baby, I decided to return and earn my College degree. I graduated from Imperial Valley College on July 2020. I was the person happier on earth. I didn't get to have graduation because of covid-19, but I did have my family complete to celebrate with them.

# data[].attributes.body
I decided to go even further and attended San Diego State University. This is where I grew even more as a person. I got to know great people and people who support me a lot. All professors are incredible; it feels more like a family than a school. Everyone helps and is friendly to each other. I graduated on May 2022, with a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies with an Emphasis in Elementary Education. This was a big dream for me all these years, having the hard task of being a mother, wife, daughter, and student. God makes all things possible. My family and my children were able to attend my graduation at SDSU, and it was a fantastic day to remember for the rest of my life. Never give up on what you want to do. Everything is possible, and I am proof of that. After obtaining my BA, I entered the credential program to get my license as a teacher. I am still working on that, which has been a great experience.

# data[].attributes.body
I am a mother of two children, and I love my family. My family and I love to travel a lot. This picture was taken when we were inside an airplane.  We have been to Rosa Morada, Mocorito, Mazatlan, Culiacan, Mexico City, Altata, Rosarito, Ensenada and Tijuana. We love to travel to places in Mexico and learn more about our Mexican culture. My kids enjoy it a lot, too, traveling. We always go together as a family when we go to places, and I start preparing for the trip one year before. Since my husband is from Sinaloa, we visit new places on that side. My husband is from a rancho where everything is more fresh and free. When we go, it looks like we are camping in a big forest. My kids love nature, as also my husband and I. Traveling is our hubby as a family, and we like to spend quality time with our kids.

# data[].attributes.body
My parents are very important to me. They are fundamental in my life. This is a picture of my College graduation, where both of my parent are looking at me. It's a beautiful image that I always carry with me. My father has always worked in the fields to provide for his family. My mother worked taking care of adults. So I owned them a lot, and they helped me greatly in my education. They are great grandparents and parents. All my sacrifices are also for them, so they can be proud of their daughter, who has a better education than they did. They only finished elementary school, and they had to work to help their families. I often visit my parents and brother, and I lost time with them. I am always grateful to my parents; I love them so much.

# data[].attributes.body
My husband has been tremendously supportive of me. He provides our family with everything we need and always thinks of us before him. We have been married for nine years. We live happily in our apartment. Our dream one day is to have our own house. My husband wants to become a Border Patrol Agency, and I know he can do it. One thing that we like to do is to push each other to become a better version of ourselves. We always learn new things; we want to grow as a couple. When we got married, we didn't have enough money to make a big wedding, but we went to a restaurant with the perfect people. We were able to celebrate our wedding with our loved ones. I know we will accomplish all of our dreams together and have each other's back forever.

# data[].attributes.body
The one on the GIF it's me. One of our family traditions is celebrating and gathering the whole family on Christmas day. We may not see each other for months, but for Christmas day, you better stay. We love to gather one night before Christmas and spend the night in a house all togetehr. This is super fun because houses in Mexicali are small, and we are like 20 people in a small place. So the fun part is to sleep over whatever you find a space. I have slept on couches and on the floor too. My back hurts a lot when I sleep on the ground. The best part is that we spent like 2-3 days together, and the children get to see their cousins, open their gifts, and spend time with their aunts and uncles. Having this tradition in my life makes me happy because we get to see each other and spend quality time. Kids love this, and they create memorable memories of their childhood.

# data[].attributes.body
Another tradition that my family and I love to celebrate is Thanksgiving. So I decided to share a list from amazon with some of the items I love buying to spend time with my family. I shared some items in the list, for example,  crafts for kids to do and play with while we are all together. Another thing that I added is a list of decorations for Thanksgiving because I am the one in charge of the decoration. I wanted to share it with you so you can get some ideas from it. Another tradition that we love to make is that that day, we all cook for dinner. We don't buy any food. We all have to cook it. It doesn't matter if it's bad or good; we must eat it. I love these traditions with my family, making them essential.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Back to School Disability Customer Support Off to College Best Sellers Amazon Basics New Releases Today's Deals Customer Service Music Books Kindle Books Registry Amazon Home Fashion Pharmacy Gift Cards Toys & Games Sell Amazon Explore Luxury Stores Automotive Coupons Shopper Toolkit Home Improvement Computers Beauty & Personal Care Health & Household Pet Supplies Handmade

# data[].attributes.body
One of my favorite things I enjoy is going to a spa and getting massages. One thing in life that I would like to do over and over again is get a spa. I love to receive this as a gift for my birthday. Also, I enjoy time with myself. Having space and relaxation time is fundamental to being a better person daily. If you don't know what to give me as a gift, my students now know what I would like for my birthday.

# data[].attributes.body
I believe that I can't survive without music. I hear music when I am doing my Homework, when I do my work, and also when I am driving. I love to hear music, and I believe that depending on the type of music you hear, it turns the mood you have at that moment. The song that I shared with you is called "Te Regalo" it is a very peaceful song, and whenever I hear it, I feel comfortable that it makes me think of my children and husband. They are everything, and this song reminds me of them when they are not with me. Also, this song is in Spanish. I like music in Spanish. I don't know if that has to do with my native language. It's just different when I hear music in my native language.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Te regalo -  Carla Morrison (Letra/Lyrics)

# data[].attributes.body
This is my dog "Reyna". It's a fun story. I got her because a friend gave it to me, but I didn't like dogs. So it was torture for me the days after he gave it to me. I wanted to give it away. I asked all my friends who wished to have a chihuahua, but nobody wanted one. So I had to keep her, and I took a lot of love as the days passed. Eventually, She became part of my family, and we stayed with her. I have two years with her, and it is my third child. I love her so much, I started to feel this love for animals, and it's incredible how they can feel when you are sad, happy, or angry. I love how she is always waiting for us to come home from school and work and will always be very excited.