Page 65 - Life Legacy Project

Chasing her dreams
“The goal isn’t to live forever but to create something that will”~ Selena Quintanilla, this one of the quotes
that my aunt took with her throughout her life when she was going through rough times or when she had lost hope in her dreams. But, this one quote helped her go through all of those problems during her lifetime when she was a young girl to a grown woman. I’m honoring Irma Arroyo-Gonzalez because, she is a strong and passionate woman, whenever she encounters a problem that’s blocking her life she always tries to find a solution for the problem and never gives up until the problem is fixed. And, I’m very glad to call her one of my aunts out of nine other aunts I have.
Irma Arroyo-Gonzales was born on December 1st, 1967, in Michoacan, Mexico. She was given this name because she was the first child out of 15 children, and her father wanted a son but since she was the first daughter out of nine other daughters he wanted to name her after his mother. Life was sorta of tough in the Arroyo household since she was the oldest child she had to take care of mostly all of her siblings so, there wasn’t really anything to do in her free time. But, as a child she was amiable and passionate, she would have lots of fun with her siblings and cousins like playing together outside soaking up the sun and, play with her porcelain dolls with her sisters. As a girl one of her role models was Selena Quintanilla who was Latina Tejano Pop Star, who made such incredible music that would give so many people a good feeling, and she never gave up on her dream. Which inspired my aunt to chase her dreams and goals and never lose hope in them. Her dream was to finish her education and get the successful career she would be satisfied with like helping others who need it the most, and have a healthy life and, a family of her own.
As she grew up to be a grown woman she wanted to work for her needs and, support her family but, it was tough finding a job in Mexico that has a good wage that can satisfy her needs. So, she decided to go to the United States of America to find a home and a decent job, she asked her brother Isidro(my uncle) for help to find transportation. He helped her get a ticket to Los Angeles, California all the way to Anacortes, Washington where he lived in his small apartment, within a week she found a job at a gas station cafe where she had to prepare and cook meals for customers that can help her meet ends and, help her find a place of her own. A couple years later she met her husband, and gave birth to her first daughter Ana (14 years old) in 2003 but, her husband left her right after she gave birth but, that didn't get in the way for her. She now has a baby and she needs to take of her, then a few years later she met her second husband. Fours years later she gave birth to Emily (10 years old) in 2007 and, then three years later she gave birth to Jorge (7 years old) and now taking care of three children all by herself in her three bedroom house and working about 7 hours a day.
Irma Arroyo Gonzales is special to me in every way possible because, whenever my mom needs support from her like taking of me or my siblings while she is working, or having to help her with work in the gas station cafe with preparing the meals for customers. She is such passionate and helpful woman to me, my family and, her family. She is always there whenever someone needs her support or when it’s needed the most. Throughout her lifetime she has learned a couple of life lessons, one of them is when she quit her job at the gas station cafe she knew she couldn’t support her family because she was working almost the entire day earning a low wage that couldn’t help her pay the bills and expenses her family needs desperately. If she could give this generation one piece of advice she would say that, if you want something you desire the most, you have to work hard in order to achieve that goal.
The reason why I’m honoring this person is because, she is a passionate and ambitious woman I’ve met in my life, she works for she wants and needs and never stops at what she does. I admire this person because, she is always there for my family whenever we need support from her the most and, she does it too with the people she loves and cares. Irma Arroyo-Gonzales will never stop chasing her dreams no matter what happens or who tries to stop her, she always has hope in her dreams whenever she is having a good or bad day.
By: Italia Hermenegildo 65