Paula Rocha-Meza, Aptos High Scholarship Winner

Meet Paula Rocha-Meza, winner of the Hank Garcia Junior Scholarship from Community Foundation Santa Cruz County.

She’s a senior at Aptos High School, setting an example for her younger sister, who is 11.

Aptos Times interviewed her via email.

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What year did you start at Aptos High?

I started Aptos High in 2021, as a freshman after quarantine ended.

If you are in migrant education, my guess is you have attended quite a few schools before Aptos High. Can you tell our readers about where you went to school, and why you made so many changes?

Growing up my family moved between the Buena Vista Migrant Camp in Watsonville and Michoacan, Mexico. The Migrant Camp is only open temporarily, April to December. That is when the strawberry season starts and families work. Once the season ends, the camp closes and families are forced to relocate. Since things are very expensive, and obtaining housing for only a few months of the year is almost impossible, many families migrate to Mexico to save money. This caused me, and many other students in the camp, to relocate to Mexico. I went to school for half the year in Mexico up until my 8th grade year, when my mother was able to find us a permanent home for the first time.

How does it feel to always be a new student? How did you cope?

Being a new student and constantly having to start over was a challenge. When I came back to the US after being in Mexico for so long, I felt like an outcast. I felt embarrassed to explain to my friends why I had to leave, especially since growing up I wasn’t proud to be the child of farmworkers. When I went back to Mexico, I also felt like an outcast. I was not Mexican enough for the kids at school over there, and it was hard constantly having to readjust. Making friendships was challenging, as I knew I would have to leave eventually.

How did you learn about the Food What?! program? What did you do there?

At the FoodWhat program I learned so many things. The program is focused on youth-empowerment, land stewardesses, and the importance of healthy food. We worked on the farm and planted, harvested, washed/prepped, and cooked with the crops we cared for. The FoodWhat team would then give out or sell the organic crops for very affordable prices out to the community. Many of the program’s teachings are based on indigenous teachings, such as the many medicinal plants we learned about.

Furthermore, FoodWhat taught us how to be leaders. We all had specific jobs and duties for caring for the farm. Additionally, we were taken on many field trips that have allowed me and many more youth to experience things we wouldn’t have done without the program. One of them is going to a Bioneers youth conference in Berkeley, we learned all about indigenous land stewardesses and the Landback Movement. I am proud to have participated in a program that has done so much for the community.

Without FoodWhat, I wouldn’t have realized just how much our community sufferers from health disparities due to the food we eat. This fueled my passion for public health, specifically being a public health nurse.

What is motivating your career choice?

I would like to obtain a career in health sciences, specifically as a Public Health nurse. I am motivated to pursue this career due the care I have for my community. Through FoodWhat I was able to learn the health disparities that the Mexican-American community, or communities of color, suffer. Personally, I have seen how my community suffers. Many of my older family members suffer from diabetes and related health conditions, something extremely common to Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. Childhood obesity is also extremely common to my community.

As a public health nurse, I would be motivated to help my community shift the food and lifestyle choices we hold so deeply. Through Food What I learned how healthy and organic food can shape your whole life and health. I know that giving back to my community and supporting it is one of the most important things I can do as a Public Health nurse, and I am dedicated to my mission.

What advice would you give students in the migrant education program?

I would advise students in migrant education programs to take advantage of all the opportunities you can. Thanks to the Migrant education program I was able to do so many things that have further fueled my need for education. Some examples include:

• Migrant Speech & Debate – Me and my team were able to win regional and state competitions, learn how to use our voice to create exchange, leadership, empowerment.
• EPIC Program at Cal Poly SLO – I got to stay at Cal Poly SLO for a week in one of the dorms, get a feel for the college experience, learn hands-on, make connections
• Trip to DC – I got to stay for a week in DC for free! I learned so much and visited so many museums and sites.
• Cabrillo Summer Class – I got to take a Cabrillo English class and receive college credit. The Cabrillo class was also specifically tailored for Migrant students. We read books about struggles we can relate to, and learned the art of writing and storytelling.
• Many more field trips: San Francisco, MakersFair
• Workshops for dancing, art, writing, etc.

Furthermore, I would advise students to search for more programs out there!

I am also part of the Sueños program, which has helped me learn skills needed to get a job. The program has also helped me actually get a job at the Muzzio Mosaic Studio in Watsonville. Overall, be part of as many things as you can and don’t be afraid to ask questions and take up space.

Are you the first in your family to go to college?

Yes, I am the first in my family to attend college. My mother only attended school up to 6th grade, as she had to work in the strawberry field for the rest of her childhood.

If so, do you feel you have to set an example?

Definitely, I know that my sister’s journey through high school and college will be a lot smoother, as I have set an example for her to follow.