Some people live their entire childhood in one house. Others may move one or twice.
Durant High School senior Jose Perez has moved 57 times.
The son of migrant workers, Perez and his family follows the harvest seasons around the eastern half of the United States. The schedule takes Perez and his siblings away from their Plant City schools for several months every year.
But, that all will change for Perez in the fall. Last week, he was accepted to Harvard University.
“I always wanted to go to Harvard,” Perez said. “I wanted to beat the stereotype. There’s more to being a migrant than just working.”
Perez’s mother, Augustina, immigrated to the United States when she was 13, and his father, Jose Sr., when he was 18. They have always worked the fields. Plant City was an area they frequented for employment.
When Perez was about 4 years old, his family moved to Plant City, making it their home base.
“It’s a little town — quaint, quiet and relaxing,” Perez said. “By living a hectic life that causes you to move, you need a place to relax.”
Perez and his siblings, Alicia and Angel, have grown up going to local schools for the first semester. At Christmas break, his family packs up their RV and truck to move, following the different harvest seasons. Then after three months, the family returns to Plant City, where the children can return to their original schools.
Whether it’s weekends, vacation time or summers, any free time Perez gets is spent helping his family in the fields.
“Everything outside of school is considered family time,” Perez said.
From cantaloupe to squash, the family has picked a variety of crops. Perez said cucumbers are the easiest, and tomatoes are the family’s specialty.
With a deeply rooted love of learning, Perez taught himself to play the guitar, ukulele, saxophone, trumpet, baritone and violin during his family’s long car trips. He also likes to write poetry and his own songs. At Durant, he is president of the Poetry Club and is in the Guitar Club.
Along with his hobbies, his family always has encouraged him in academics.
“They always wanted me to get an education,” Perez said. “They said ‘Go to school. It’s a great opportunity for you.’”
Perez has a passion for learning. He loves all subjects and has taken a plethora of Advanced Placement classes.
“I had great teachers,” Perez said. “I owe it all to them. Without great teachers, there cannot be great students.”
With a 6.13 grade-point average, Perez plans to go into law at Harvard. But he doesn’t want to declare a major until he experiences his first year.
“I am very proud,” Perez said. “It’s been my No. 1 school for quite a while. Now, I’m one step closer to my next goal. All the money and time my parents spent on me — I want to pay them all back for what they did for me.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
NATIONAL TREND
According to the most recent U.S. census data, Hispanic student enrollment has reach an all-time high. For the first time, the number of 18- to 24-year-old Hispanics enrolled in college exceeded 2 million. Hispanics are the largest minority group on the nation’s college campuses.
