Olivia Zepeda and Maria Chavoya

00:04 My name is Olivia zepeda. I am 63 years old today is November 27th 2019. We are in Yuma Arizona. My partner's name is Muddy a shovel. Yeah, and she's my friend.

00:21 My name is Friday a travois. I am 61 years of age. Today is Wednesday November 27th, 2019. I wear in Yuma, Arizona and my partner's name is Olivia zepeda and we've been good friends for many years.

00:46 Okay, Madea.

00:48 So we're going to talk about.

00:51 How we grew up where and how we got to where we are today? When and where were you born?

01:00 Well, I was born here in Yuma, Arizona in 1958. So I have lived here most of my life.

01:13 Most of my time has been here, but you know like many I left you, thinking the grass was greener somewhere else.

01:26 I went to OC Johnson School, which is the old school that's still close to my home. I also went to you know, Fourth Avenue Junior High and of course the best golden Town Yuma High you go cribs.

01:54 When I was going to school, I really loved English. I was an honor student and I thought I I love school. I love my teachers. I wasn't quite sure where I was going cuz I didn't know there was any future After High School in my family. I knew that I was going to work and I wanted to finish school so I could go to work. I'm sure you're familiar with that.

02:32 I I had a love for books. I used to sneak for my parents to read. I used to read books at home when they weren't around or at school most of the time instead of recess. I would spend time reading learning other languages like French. I love languages. I thought I was going to do something with it. I just didn't know what it was.

03:08 I didn't know there was College I was young and I my dad wanted me to hurry up and finish school and start working and I didn't agree with that. I didn't want to get married. I didn't you know, I wanted to work but I didn't want to get married and have kids or none of that. I want it more but I didn't know what eventually we had a lot of turmoil at home. It was always just just

03:44 It was always more about what?

03:49 You know what you need to do at home, you know get up make tortillas, you know get things ready for your you know, help your mother before, you know, cuz my dad had his own landscaping business and and then it was you no go to school after that. So priority was house chores not school for my parents Unfortunately. They I guess we're doing the best they could with the little knowledge. They had from growing up with very little education.

04:21 I'm so in life continue like that. For more time, you know where priority was work and tours and and not my work. It's from school. My homework had to be done at school. Not at home. I'm kiss homework was a waste of time for me is my dad would put it and so I eventually at 16 decided to leave home. So I left high school and I was kicked out of high school cuz I started to get into trouble and found a way to get kicked out and eventually return to running away and and turn to gangs and drugs and everything that comes with that kind of life.

05:06 And I was here and there in Yuma. I continue to live here in Yuma continue to work became a manager right away at the age of 18. I moved out of Yuma to kind of get out of trouble and and continue to learn the stages of being a manager how to hire how to fire how to open restaurants how to how to do a lot of things and I didn't know I knew how to do and so I traveled all over California and then there's a lot of racism going on throughout my young adulthood. I got a lot of it in in Blythe California experienced. A lot of firsthand people would not rent to me where I had to live in my car was homeless, but I have money but I was homeless cuz nobody would rent to me.

06:03 Ben I am

06:07 I ended up just leaving my job and going to Houston and getting to know other places cuz my mind was made up. I wanted to dance my way across the United States. So I kind of did that so I did a lot of what I wanted to do as a young girl before I got married. I eventually got married.

06:28 When I was 22

06:32 Somewhere around there and I

06:38 Decided it was time to learn more about life where I started to see that college was an opportunity for me and I am moved to, California.

06:49 To explore California again at it and now it is working in retail as a manager. I always worked myself up to a manager position.

07:04 So I didn't really study for any of that. I did learn in California that college was certainly an opportunity. So I started going to college and I I found that I really loved it. And so I took a lot of courses there. I wanted to be a computer programmer. I wasn't into it at the time but not as much because I was off the chain gang. So obviously I was not much of an introvert and that's kind of where my life is gone. And then I ended up getting divorced and coming back home and spend the night. Spent about 33 years. I got into journalism.

07:49 Don't know how that happened, but people had faith in me. I had mentors my mentor as a young girl. Her name was ibert Ocala and then I met the publisher at the paper here and he gave me another opportunity. So I said well if you've learned to do everything else why can't you learn to be an editor for a newspaper? And I said, well, I guess show me the ropes and I'll learn it. So I learned it through that job is where I learned about more about service. I really like service. I really like helping people and through the newspaper. I was able to help many people that lack the language skills or the comprehension of the English language. I'm so through the newspaper. I used it as a tool to help people to resources into

08:44 Access what they needed taxes even without the language. So to me, that's why the newspaper was he and then I just continue to work there for 20 years and soon I found myself that I was time to move on because the paper industry had changed and

09:13 I've learned a lot through life. I can tell you it's made me who I am the ups and downs and now I work in and Community Affairs government Affairs for health plan and Medicaid Medicare health plan, and I really enjoy that and continue to give service to people so, you know, I think that's what's move me into even being on boards and serving on the College Board and helping people access things that are not usually so accessible so, you know, I'm sure you can

09:46 Probably really feel that kind of stuff that you probably had a different road to go and I am sure that

09:55 I have you didn't you didn't grow up in your mind. You know, where did you grow up at? I grew up in Sunway just across the border, So not too far away and not too far away. And what would you like to come over here or so? I was born in 7702 in the farming Community close to the Colorado River on the Colorado River was big. I was afraid of it. My mom would go swimming there, but I was born in born in that farm. And when I was little my parents moved from one little farm to the other but basically the same area

10:49 So so we basically lived in the Farms until I was about seven and a half then we moved to the big city of San Luis, which was just the town. But for me, it was huge. We move to San Luis Rio Colorado Sonora and and we lived there until I was fourteen while we were there my parents of course being very poor. We had nothing we lived under a tree for a little while then my father built a little had made of sheetrock and I would live there then my dad couldn't find a job. So Mom and Dad with my older sister and my mom would

11:41 Do laundry for people around us and I figured out that I could also help I was eight by asking mom to make popcorn for me to go out and sell it in streets, which I did for about a year. Then my dad lucky for him. He a friend of his emigrated and he had a card he was selling fruit and I was 4 Less gas in the street. And so he told my dad look up when I am not going to need it anymore. I'll sell it to you and my dad said I can't have no money. So don't give me any money right now. It just paid to make with us as you can so he's got it and that was like our source of income for a while in the same men.

12:32 In conversation, my dad said he had a daughter was born in Salinas while he was in the Bracero Program these men told him. You're stupid. What are you doing? Are you sure you can be immigrated? Is there snow? Is there any way to make the story short when I was 10 we emigrated.

12:52 And will continue to live in San Luis we would go work in California in the Farms every year from like April through October and then go back to Mexico to school. My dad would make sure that we had a desk in school for us to to go to school education for both. My parents was important so he would pay the principles kind of under the table to make sure that's a desk West saved for my sister and I to go to school so we did that when I was fourteen, they had saved enough money for a down payment for a house and move to San Luis, Arizona. I went to Kofa High School and I was I was entered us a junior at Kofa High School Because when we went to register, we just told him that we had already done two years of high school not knowing that you know how high school or not the same thing. Anyway, they accepted us and I graduated from high school when I was 16.

13:52 Well, I was in high school. We wear nice L learned very little English to be honest with you. I never liked School in in in high school because I was placed in special education programs with severe children with severe learning problems or disabilities and I just felt very humiliated having to go to those classes. I was a good student in Mexico. So I would skip class A lot and go to work in the fields lie to Dad that we had this off and things like that and continue to work in the fields throughout then one while I was in high school that teacher's aide instructional assistants now tell me about college and I hate that was a concept. I have no idea of what she said, you know, you could go to college her smart and the end I said how and she helped me. She helped me do all the paperwork.

14:51 And with trick Dad into signing papers because he didn't he thought that's what we needed to do was learn enough English and go to work in the store so that we wouldn't have to work in the field. So the store was very good for him.

15:08 So he signed papers. I was 16 and mom didn't know that she could have signed them. So we had we told him it all papers that needed signatures. We tricked him into it told him they were my graduation papers and we and I ended up going to Arizona Western College. I was there for two years and then after finish completing my second year. I was hired as a Aid reading aid in the reading lab. I learned enough English to move around enough book English to move around and help people sit at the labs and get them hooked up with whatever he was a word that they had to do test them in that kind of stuff. So I did that and then I met my

15:52 Boyfriend and now my husband and I ended up not going to the university got married and had two daughters when my second daughter was born in 1983 and I saw that I was going anywhere. I was still very poor cuz my husband also worked in the fields and I just looked around me and I thought I had raised my children this way. So I decided to go back to school as soon as she was born and died in 1987. I became a teacher that was like a really that was a biggest turn in my life. That's what turned our life around and then later with school and got a masters and got very involved in bilingual education. And that's how I met Maria but not because there was a man who food really destroyed bilingual education in the state. He got a proposition in the

16:52 Salad, and other we March then we parted we didn't have them I need to do enough and we lost it. So we lost bilingual education later on I can I was hired for the University adjunct faculty and I taught many years and when

17:12 Dumb got a master's degree Todd and did all of that day and night working day and night and was hired full-time at the University and I thought that this night where I was going to end up getting a doctorate in being a professor for the rest of my life, but life has turned and that I went to turn in my resignation. I by that time I was professional development director in my district. And so I went to turn in my resignation my superintendent being accepted. He he actually gave me a leave of absence of your stream of absence and kept me with 1/4 of the contract because he wanted me to do some work for him.

17:56 Then at the end of the year, I went back and gave my letter of resignation again. And again, he didn't accepted and in my litter I said that I wanted to study for a doctorate. When does that was one of my goals and and he asked me why I said because someday I would like to be curriculum director. So he says what if I offer you that position now and

18:21 And it was really hard. Do you know just getting pulled back and forth but I I did I accepted it and I stayed in my district and through this many different jobs. I ended up being associate superintendent throughout this time because I am very grateful for all of the people. I met all the people supported me who told me I was smart enough to get a master degree like a dear friend of mine pain sharp when she said why don't you study a masters in a said? Oh, no, that's not for me to leave. Are you smarter? And I didn't believe I was smart enough to to study for a master's degree. I could never imagined I could and so people who I met like that through my career who always patting my back and said, yes, you can do it being an associate superintendent being so scared and sin and I forgot to say in this. Yes, you can do it so many different people in my life that that have a

19:21 Supported me. I have always felt that I owe back and that's why I'd really enjoy serving serving in different boards throughout my career and right now just into because I am busy being a grandmother and enjoy my other job that I do now Consulting but serving them boards giving back to the community somehow supporting is very important to me supporting our foundation that support students. I like to do that because someone helped me and someone help me change my life to me education is a life-changer and in the college who say that it's a way out of poverty and I believe that it is because I got an education that I was out of the property that was living in salt.

20:22 For me what I've gone through in in the life that I have lived in and I hope I can do that for a while is is at this point is giving back to the community somehow in supporting the people my own children, sometimes if there's regrets in life and what I think about is probably that I spend so much studying so much of my life studying and so much of my life building my my career that I feel like sometimes side neglecting my own children now, they tell me don't worry about it look at us, but but I do sometimes

21:13 Well, it's good not to have regrets. I have no regrets and I think it's important when you look back and see your kids and and see how productive and how great families they have now and now they both have kids and I'm so you know who you should be proud of that about they've been able to achieve I believe, you know, we can live with regrets. But for what I don't live with regrets, you know me like I do everyday what I want to do and I live life to its fullest because I think it's important to enjoy life and and and Live Without Regrets. I mean, I don't have anything I want to do other than if I retire and I'm still able I'm going to go away for a year and give service in another country. That's what I want to do. But I've done everything I wanted to do as a young person as an old person as a mom.

22:13 I'm as a grandma a great grandma. I'm so you know, what more could I ask I never thought I'd be here. So I think it's important not to have regrets to be happy for what we see and see it the way it is and live life everyday to its fullest cuz you never know cuz there's one thing for sure is we're all leaving Earth. We will all leave one day and you know, I think it's important to to really live life fully and I don't have any regrets. I don't think I can say I regret it something, you know, you ain't even when I eat at one time. I thought I used to say the same thing with my kids and my kids said you did the best you can you break. This is a single mom.

23:02 And and we're here we had a good childhood. You were able to bring us up and did not have anything happen to us. We weren't involved in the things that you did like gangs and drugs and all that. So I was able to raise the for kids on their own on my own and and and do it right and so they grow up to be productive adults. They have their families now have 13 grandchildren one great-grandchild. I have a lot to do you got to get busy Olivia got to catch up. My girls are lazy. I only have two and it is hard for me. It's very hard to do when I think back and and and I think of the times that I was in there when my kids were little but on the other hand, I provided them with a life that they wouldn't have had otherwise, so

24:02 Yes, I have to think that way but deep in my heart is very difficult. It's not easy and it's never easy not to think what could have been ordered for me for me. It's it's not that easy but my girls are fine as they're doing. Well. When is it teacher and the other one is right now a lieutenant commander in the Coast Guard so so they're both doing very well and my grandson a 16 year old and a newborn. So yes, I have a good life and I have a lot to be grateful for.

24:39 And I

24:42 And your grandson is going to go to the university now, so he saw he was he's been admitted to us you Arizona State University and the University of Arizona write the following in your footsteps that would an example they say that that dates do should be an example to your children and

25:02 Underneath both my girls went a little bit later, but she is she figured it out. And and now she's the mother of the 16 year old who is going to go to the university when I think about life and I think about

25:22 The lessons that we learned in the people that we encounter and the kindness.

25:30 How many people come to my mind many people who were very kind to me and that in the lessons that I've learned is I guess I'm kind of repeating myself, but it's mighty the biggest lesson that I have learned this.

25:47 To give back what I have received it. That's my lesson zombie.

25:55 Greedy with my time not to be greedy with my time and sometimes were too comfortable at home and wouldn't want to get up and go to that meeting or that event or whatever and then some in I try not to do that because I feel that important to give back and into to support young people. I stay in touch with a lot of my ex-students. A lot of people are referred to me for these are dad and and I try to help support them in whichever way I can I get called to speak in places and I try to do it the best way I can.

26:42 I think you've been very instrumental in very many kids lives. I mean, even when I did meet you back in the day of the prop that was going to take bilingual education away, but then think about what you did with the kids in junior high between you and dr. Aguilera and getting those math courses and all those kids an opportunity to go to Johns Hopkins, and those are things that those are opportunities at those children probably never even could have dreamed of when you're absolutely right and and that takes me back to

27:24 Give the children a taste of Education of what it looks like what it feels like and they will never go back all of those kids who have gone through either the college classes Johns Hopkins or both.

27:38 Will they're okay. They're going to be fine. Whichever way sometimes encountering difficulties, but they're going to be fine. They're going to go to school. They're going to earn a degree because to them there's no other way. They already tasted it. And so so that's that's important to me and I look at it even further is the changes and correct them that all that has encouraged throughout Yuma County, you know changing policies changing curriculums changing the way things used to be done in just done because that was the way it was done challenging the system. Yes. It's more than just a kid's it was the whole system in Yuma County. Yes, because at the beginning it was like well just kiss in Saint Louis.

28:38 Sad with time.

28:41 With many challenges and with people telling us.

28:46 Stop doing the music program. You should be teaching them English or why are you doing the math program in this and and usually everything went back to you should be teaching them English as if they didn't speak English. Yes, because their second language Learners and they may have an accident does it mean they don't speak English? Some people just don't understand how and add to me holding back kids is a sin because I remember when I was at the Arizona Western College learning English. I was held by the placement ESL classes and I just felt that they were so low and but I was being held back I wasn't allowed to take English until I went crying to somebody who wasn't even a counselor and I said, I knew your signature because they won't let me out of these classes are so boring. I'm not learning anything, but it's a had to take that step and not house children have it.

29:46 There in within them to go and take that step and say this is not right for me. So I don't believe in holding children back just because they don't know any enough English. They can still do mathematics and they can still play music and and they should they should have those opportunities. So

30:05 Yes, those kids have so many opportunities their there. They're band is now going to London again for a second time. They've been invited to Spain and other countries to play the little kids from Saint Louis. So it's a great band and and many of those same students are in those math classes that are advanced classes. So many opportunities have been given to those children that probably forever will be grateful to you and everybody else cuz you were instrumental in pushing it to the college also.

30:47 Pushing it to the college back then. Yes now it's it's it's it's a given but starting the foundation for them that was important to me in and leaving then secured with some funding so that was good and then continue to support that so

31:18 If you can reflect on a certain. Of your life where you felt like you needed the most advice or support from people.

31:29 When was that? And what would you say to yourself in that time.

31:36 My toughest I'm going from being a teenage runaway that never went back home going just pushing through life by my own you no hands and whatever I could do. The hardest time for me was raising my for kids in Yuma County. I found that when I came back to you mother was little to no resources available.

32:09 I I couldn't make ends meet and every time I tried it was as though something else over here came and said no, you're not going to take that. You're going to leave it alone. It's not meant for you kind of like there was always a wall and my mom used to say hi to you keep Faith. How do you how do you keep moving forward if everything blocks yours a barrier? And I said, well, you know, why mom cuz I keep seeing that there's a little tiny light at the end of the tunnel and I know eventually it will become a big light. I couldn't find resources sometimes to feed my kids. I couldn't find resources for healthcare and that's why I'm where I'm at because that's what I do now for people for other people because

32:59 The system of course now has a lot of help and a lot of opportunities, but if you don't know where they're at, it's still the same problem. How do you get to him? And how do you know what exists so making sure that as a houseplant also carry that read that book full of resources and and I know about him knowing might Dai knowing which does for the community but you do for me and Maria. I know how many people look for you for advice even myself. I have asked you a few questions about about other people and that's because you are one of the biggest resources that we have in this community and you're very visible. You're out there any events you're out there supporting and he doesn't matter in the event is our spaniol or both or whatever but you're right there and people definitely see you as a sad person who is

33:59 Going to somehow figure out how to support them. Very icy. Really awesome the things that you do everyday awesome for me.

34:10 My deepest moment, I guess when I felt lost and I felt.

34:18 Like I was drowning.

34:22 What's after my first daughter was born she was maybe about 2 and

34:31 I started that I was still working out. I was working by then. I said instructional assistant and my district why retire from as associate superintendent, I was deters Aid and them and then going to work in the Summers to California in the fields continue to do that when I was married.

34:51 And I thought oh my gosh.

34:54 I have an associate's degree, which at that time. I thought it was very big to have an associate's degree. And here I am. I'm not doing anything with my life. I'm living in such poverty. We didn't even have air conditioning. My kids were hot hot in the summer if we happen to be here a week or so very cold in the winter time with my daughter.

35:18 And I feel totally lost. I had no one.

35:22 At that moment. No one who was advising mean the one who are supporting me. How do I get out of this hole then? My second daughter was born and it was like I felt even worse it was like I was thinking and and there was no way out but there was a way out and that's when NAU Northern Arizona came to Yuma and I was in the first cohort of the people who went to school there soon as I heard about it. I said, I'm there doesn't matter how I do it how I can pay for it. But because of that time I don't think I even knew I could get a student loan. So I paid for my classes as I could and in and I can die. That was how I got out of it. What would I tell someone with what advice?

36:12 Would I give someone who is facing what I was facing back then?

36:18 I guess it would be to keep a positive attitude to know like Maria said earlier there was a light at the end of the tunnel and that's how we have to live life always having hope that something better is coming. But you cannot sit there and wait for it. Do you have to look for that opportunity? And in that opportunity came to me so my advice to people would be

36:45 Look for it something whatever it is that you want to do. Look for that number to needy don't give up don't Despair and in you have to go through what you have to go through. It makes you the person that you are certainly does and I feel that I am a positive person but I had to be I had to be because even since I was eight when I saw that I needed to help my parents to bring food to the table back then I guess something happened with a lot of praise for my parents both my mom and dad and for them to be telling the story even through the years Olivia supported us for a year selling popcorn in the streets, and that was like

37:35 Hahaha

37:37 Something so big for me and that my parents are proud of me. I guess that that was what it was. It was fried. They were proud of me and it felt good and and then I knew that through being positive things were going to be good for me.