When Gloria Herrera moved from Mexico to the United States seven years ago with her
husband and three children, she was the only one in the family who knew any English.
Today, her daughter has just completed a bachelor’s degree, a son is progressing toward his degree, and another son is preparing to attend Hartnell College this fall.
Following their example, Herrera graduated from Hartnell on May 29 with associate degrees in early childhood education and liberal arts. She intends to continue on and earn a bachelor’s degree in the near future.
Herrera said she has been inspired by her children’s success: “They’ve accomplished a lot. If they did, why couldn’t I?”
Her daughter, Gloria Alejandra Lopez, graduated from Hartnell before earning a bachelor’s degree in public health with a minor in psychology at Sacramento State University in May. Her older son, Benito Miguel Lopez Romero, is pursuing a degree in Spanish and a minor in Portuguese from the University of California, Davis. Her youngest, Brian Anthony Lopez Romero, graduated in May from Alvarez High School and will be attending Hartnell this fall.
The daughter of a farmworker in the Bracero Program, Herrera was born in Orange County but moved to Mexico in 1990. She and her husband, Benito Lopez Castaneda, who manages the meat department at Mi Pueblo Food Center, came to Salinas in 2013.
After a work injury prevented her from continuing her job in food prep at the same store, Herrera decided it was time to focus on her education.
She began by taking classes in English as a second language and completed her high-school equivalency through the Salinas Adult School, as did her husband.
Herrera said the experience of helping her own children attend school as non-English speakers has motivated her to become a teacher. Her youngest was 11 when the family arrived.
“I want to help others who have the same challenge as they did,” she said.
Herrera gained teaching experience with young children during a practicum at the Hartnell Child Development Center (CDC) and as a volunteer at the Little Bear Creek Preschool in the Santa Rita Union School District.
At the CDC, she said, “The teachers were awesome. I learned a lot from them, and I also learned a lot from the kids.”
Herrera’s immediate plan is to find work in early childhood education before beginning work on a bachelor’s degree in education, with a focus on preschool-age children who have special needs.
“I have to start working and earn a little bit so I can afford to go to the university,” she said.