Woman fulfilling her American dream

MILAN TWP. — Imagine all the anxieties, fears and nervousness a typical freshman feels upon entering high school. Now factor in living in a new country without knowing any people or even the country's official language to these complexities. Four years ago, Julieta De Loera Figueroa found herself in this very position, moving from Mexico with her mother, Maria Figueroa Lopez, and four siblings, to reunite with her father, Roberto De Loera Garcia, on a full-time basis. For 20 years, Roberto has worked and remains employed at The Chef's Garden in the Huron area. He's considered a do-it-all supervisor, overseeing responsibilities of farming, harvesting and repairing, among others. Between 2006 and 2022, while he'd occasionally visit Mexico, Roberto spent the vast majority of his time in Ohio, working countless hours, saving up money and sending a majority of his paycheck across the southern border to support his wife and their five children. Roberto sacrificed, accepted burdens and took on various challenges so he could fulfill his American dream: providing a better life for his family and children, including Julieta, a 2026 Edison High School and EHOVE Career Center graduate. "I knew coming here would be tough: not knowing English, not knowing people, living somewhere new, and she was scared, but I told her not to worry," Roberto said when recalling a 2022 conversation he shared with Julieta. "I told her, 'You will be fine. You will not give up easily. You will follow your goals and work hard,'" Roberto said to Julieta. "And she has: Everything she has gotten to this point, she has earned. She has taken advantage of every opportunity and worked so hard. I am very proud of her." Excelling in education Reality of a new life for Julieta set in from the moment she stepped onto a school bus, taking her to Edison High School to, truly, start over from scratch. "I was rethinking my life's choices at that moment," said Julieta, born in Mexico, who spoke Spanish and knew only the simplest of English words and phrases. "I just knew the basics: 'Hi.' 'Hello.' 'Goodbye.' 'How are you?' It was terrifying. All I thought was, 'How am I supposed to communicate with anyone?'" Then, upon stepping foot in the main corridor, a calming presence immediately greeted her: Whitney Bickel, a district tutor and translator. Because of Bickel, Julieta began to learn the basic fundamentals of English. "She was my savior," Julieta said. "She was there most of the time, helping me through classes with English and just checking on me. Because of her, I could get into a routine. If I didn't understand the language, she helped me get through it." Another key mentor for Julieta: Sarah Roan, a longtime Edison High School teacher who today serves as the district's college and career readiness adviser. She ended up teaching Julieta in English across two school years. "I was so lucky to have Julieta in my English classes for two years, and I will never forget her first day at Edison. Freshman English was her last class of the day, and I realized how overwhelmed she must have been feeling," said Roan, who still keeps artwork created by Julieta as a reminder of her perseverance. "She graciously allowed me to practice the Spanish I had learned in high school in an effort to make her feel more comfortable," Roan added. "She showed remarkable courage and curiosity from Day 1, and I was extremely impressed by her exponential growth by the end of sophomore English." With educators like Bickel and Roan, Julieta became fluent in English heading into her sophomore year. This opened up additional opportunities for Julieta to get familiar with American culture. "One of the things that helped me learn English was joining clubs," Julieta said. She signed up for many extracurriculars, like Edison's drama club, taking part in plays; marching band where she played symbols and trumpet; and at EHOVE Career Center, studying visual and interactive media. She also took part in Interact Club, a locally based community service organization, and Spanish Club. "That allowed me to become more confident in my speaking and learning how high school kids really speak outside of the classroom," Julieta said. "It was very difficult to understand the jokes, slang and communicate with teenagers, learning their inside jokes. It's different from classroom, or 'polite,' English. But the more I got involved, the more I learned and could communicate with people who were my age." By the time she ended her high school career, Julieta received several awards and achievements, noting her academic prowess. This included: • Receiving entry into National Honor Society, a premier high school organization that recognizes a select group of students who excel in scholarship, service, leadership and character • Becoming Edison High School's student of the month, a highly competitive process, this past January • Winning the Louie Armstrong Jazz Award, a highly prestigious interscholastic honor presented to outstanding high school jazz musicians in the U.S. • Obtaining her Thespian membership, an induction into the International Thespian Society, the world's largest honor society for theater students • Volunteering with Teen Leadership Corps at EHOVE, a class empowering teenagers to achieve their leadership potential through a character- and service-based curriculum • Taking home several awards at EHOVE for studying visual and interactive media • Earning three scholarships to prepare her for college "The more I got involved, the more confident I got with not just knowing English but myself," Julieta said. "When I first moved here, I was really shy. I kind of still am but not as much as I used to be. And I am thankful to the people who supported me to make myself confident and outgoing." To witness her meteoric rise is truly astonishing but not surprising, Roan said. "Over the last four years, Julieta has consistently demonstrated endless strength, determination and dedication," Roan said. "Her ability to not just adapt to a completely new environment but also thrive is truly inspirational. It has been the greatest privilege to witness her seek new experiences, explore her interests and develop her many talents. I am grateful I had the opportunity to support her, learn with her and celebrate her accomplishments along the way." What's next? This fall, Julieta plans to attend Bowling Green State University to study psychology and digital arts. She aspires to get into medical school and become a psychiatrist. "My true dream job is to be an animator, but I have been thinking about how AI is taking over the industry, and then I started thinking about my second dream job, which is to be a therapist," she said. "I'm very curious about the human mind." Because of her firsthand experiences, Julieta believes she developed a deep sense of empathy to care for people — especially the underappreciated, quiet newcomers — preparing her for a potential career as a therapist. But is she nervous about entering this next chapter of her life? "In high school, I overcame a lot. I feel college will be tough, but I've done this before: it's a restart from high school, meeting new people, doing new stuff and now getting more opportunities," Julieta said. "But, this time, there won't be that added pressure of not knowing English." Julieta then underscored what she believes will be her biggest challenge entering a post-secondary institution. "It will be finding the right balance because I did so much and had a busy schedule in high school," she added. "While that helped me, in college, I really need to choose what I'm going to do, what will be best for me and have time for myself to make sure I am doing well in classes." Julieta credited her time at Edison and EHOVE as well as educators employed there, all serving as guides — both inside and outside the classroom — for her to excel. "I'm just thankful to anyone who helped me," Julieta said. "I am so appreciative." Nobody's happier for Julieta, a first-generation college student, than her two biggest supporters: her parents, Maria and Roberto. The family celebrated her graduation by taking part in their favorite activities: barbecuing, playing soccer and hanging around one another. "I am so proud of her," said Maria, who spoke in Spanish with Julieta translating. "She kept going and kept dreaming and never stopped. When we came here, opportunities showed up, and she took advantage of every resource." Added Roberto: "All I wanted to do was provide a better life for my children. She has done that. She is living my American dream. This is truly my American dream." Julieta endlessly thanked her parents for never doubting her. "They are so important to me. Everything I was involved with, they came to. They never said 'no' to whatever I wanted to do with school," she said. "I'm really grateful for the time they took out of their day to be there for me and always support me."