PROGRAM'S PARENT OF THE YEAR MOM HONORED FOR EFFORTS FOR MIGRANTS.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LANCASTER - After graduating from high school in Mexico, Maria Zelada immigrated in 1980 to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. speaking no English, and worked in factory jobs and did farm work. Zelada now works as a teacher's assistant in the Palmdale School District The Palmdale School District is a school district that serves a major part of the city of Palmdale, California (USA). The Palmdale School District was first formed in 1888. Approximately 28,000 students are enrolled in the Palmdale School District. and tells her seven children about the importance of getting an education. ``I'm always trying to encourage them to stay in school and have good grades. I'm always with the little ones young children. See also: Little to do their homework to make sure they do it. If they need help, I help them. Anytime the schools call me to help out, I'm there,'' Zelada said. ``That's their future. They need to continue their education because it's good for them. That way they will have their own profession. They won't depend on no one. They will depend on themselves,'' she said. Zelada has been named Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County's Parent of the Year in a program that serves migrant students. It was the first time someone from the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley has been given the award. Zelada helps children in the Palmdale School District and is involved with committees in the Antelope Valley Union High School District The Antelope Valley Union High School District (A.V.U.H.S.D.) is located in the Antelope Valley area of California, in northern Los Angeles County. The district includes eight public high schools, one trade school, and two continuation high schools in the cities of Palmdale , said Anthony Martinez, the high school district's Migrant Education Program coordinator. ``One of the things is that she volunteers and she is very close to education in schools. She has seven children, two of them now in college and also a son in the Marines,'' Martinez said. ``It's kind of like an example that it can be done. Here's a family who starts off in agriculture, and through education her children are now moving up and obtaining higher education and seeking degrees, compared to the past when families didn't do that. It's perseverance.'' Zelada's children range from 8 to 21 years old. Her oldest and only son, Adrian, is in the Marines and stationed in San Diego. Her next oldest, twin 18-year-old daughters, are attending college. Laura is at Antelope Valley College Antelope Valley College is a comprehensive community college located in Lancaster, California, USA. It is operated by the Antelope Valley Community College District, with a primary service area of 1,945 square miles covering portions of Los Angeles and Kern counties. and is thinking of becoming a fashion designer; Fatima is at University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis, commonly known as UC Davis, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, and was established as the University Farm in 1905. , studying to be a child psychologist child psychologist Psychology A mental health professional with a PhD in psychology who administer tests, evaluates and treats children's emotional disorders, but can't prescribe medications . Zelada's children benefited from migrant program services, which include dental screenings, donations from the community, and supplementary instruction and programs at the high school level. The high school district's program currently serves more than 300 students, most of them at Littlerock and Antelope Valley high schools, Martinez said. The federally funded migrant education program is for students whose families are affiliated with certain industries, including agriculture and poultry. Zelada credits migrant program services with helping her son obtain his high school diploma A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED. . He did not have enough credits to graduate on time but made up the work after a year through an online computer program. To learn English after arriving in this country, Zelada took English as a Second Language classes at night. The classes helped a little bit, but she really learned more while working at a Torrance electronics firm, where she made gyros This article is about the food dish. For other uses, see Gyro. Gyros or gyro (Greek: γύρος, "turning") (IPA: [ˈjɪːɹəʊ] for airplanes and where no one spoke Spanish. ``I didn't want to work there. I thought, 'Who am I going to talk to?' but they kept calling me. That's where I learned more,'' Zelada said. After moving to Lancaster around 1997, she did seasonal work at a peach ranch in Neenach for several years. Zelada never got a college degree. ``I started taking classes for working as a teacher's assistant. I just feel if I keep going, I will finish one day. I don't feel bad. With the kids, it's important to be with them and help in their education,'' she said. Karen Maeshiro, (661) 267-5744 karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Parent of the Year Maria Zelada and husband Fredy hold a photo of son Adrian, 21, a Marine, as five of their daughters surround them. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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