García Early College High School

Mayra Garcia, Lead Teacher

Laredo, TX | 10th Grade

"This project was an opening experience to many of our students. Since Laredo is geographically located in the border between the United States and Mexico, many a student’s first female family member eligible to vote was either their mother and grandmother or sister."

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FEATURED WORK

My Mother

My Mother

 By Ricky Rubio

She would always tell my mother “appreciate what you have, mija, many women have fought to have the rights you have now.”   READ MORE +
My Aunt

My Aunt

 By Alfredo Duncan

I'm inspired by this amazing story of hard work and perseverance in all aspects. From being a male dominant society, we have gone to a society where men and women share opportunities in the workforce.   READ MORE +
My Great-Great-Grandmother

My Great-Great-Grandmother

 By Cristian Castaneda

What an interesting life my great-great-grandmother lived, I bet she didn't even realize that she was the first woman in her family to vote, at least at the time she was given that right.   READ MORE +
My Cousin Rachel

My Cousin Rachel

 By Alexis Silva, Saul Sanchez

She was born in poverty. They barely had enough money to eat at their house. She struggled for the reason that she couldn't really study over there.   READ MORE +
My Great-Aunt Cande

My Great-Aunt Cande

 By Destiny Sanchez

To her the most important thing was her family, she believed that during the Great Depression she had to look out for them and make sure that they had their necessities.   READ MORE +
Maria, My Grandmother

Maria, My Grandmother

 By Delilah Ramos

I learned who my grandma really was before I was born, I built a bigger connection with my aunt, and I am now a lot more grateful and proud that I will have the right to vote once I turn 18 years old.   READ MORE +
Aunt Sofia

Aunt Sofia

 By Emely Soliz

According to her, she was well informed on the president that she elected, she was positive that he would contribute to nothing but the greatness of America.   READ MORE +
Cristina Moreno

Cristina Moreno

 By Jose Avalos

She thought me English when my teachers gave up on me, math when no teacher was willing to teach, science when I wouldn’t understand and so on. She also made me see voting as an honor because I'll be the first from my family to vote to make my country better.   READ MORE +
My Sister Ana

My Sister Ana

 By Joanna Garcia

This research on the first female voter in my family has made me come to a realization that I am lucky enough to be granted the right to vote.   READ MORE +
My Two Great-Aunts

My Two Great-Aunts

 By MIguel Cabello

They came in search of a better life as all people who migrate to the United States do. They crossed the bridge when no documentation was needed.   READ MORE +

STUDENT WORK

My Mother

My Mother

 By Alexa Quiroz

It was not till she and my grandfather moved to Laredo where she had my mom and my two other aunts that she thought she could finally encourage them to vote and to help make a difference.
My Grandaunt

My Grandaunt

 By Aisha Colchado

I, as a proud feminist, will now take voting seriously and no longer take for granted what was handed to me, what others had to fight for.
My Sister Graciela

My Sister Graciela

 By Bryan Anthony Posada

I already knew that women's vote was special and all but, when I researched, I found out how much they fought for women's vote and it changed my mind even more.
My Great-Grandmother

My Great-Grandmother

 By Brianna Gonzalez

My family still tells stories about how the bridge connecting Laredo and Nuevo Laredo was never a barrier, but a way people would travel and connect with family without any restrictions.
My Sister

My Sister

 By Angelica Moreno

On my mom's side, I would be the first female to vote in my family.
My Grandma

My Grandma

 By Alberto Hernandez

While I have been listening to my grandma talk about her past for as long as I can remember, I had never thought about her rights or anything like that until the day I 'interviewed' her.
My Mother

My Mother

 By Carlos Mendoza

That is why I understand why women in the 20th century were fighting for the right to vote because they wanted to feel like they had power and were needed.
My Grandmother Gloria

My Grandmother Gloria

 By Alysson Espinoza

My grandfather forbade her to vote because he was shown by his parents that women stay at home with the children.
My Grandmother

My Grandmother

 By Daniella Ortiz

One main reason why their actions stood out to me was because no matter how difficult things would get they never gave up.
Minda

Minda

 By David Adan

Everyone with the power to choose their representatives should do it. This action keeps a nation's governmental system working. In other words, it enables citizens to choose their own government.
My Cousin

My Cousin

 By Emiliano Benavides

Although all women should be proud of voting, the first women to do it in a family should feel the proudest since they possibly started a tradition.
My Grandmother

My Grandmother

 By Jared McCain

This was a huge deal for her and my great-grandmother, being the first female to vote. My grandmother said that this made her have a sense of joy and pride, because she could see how far the United States had come from when my great-grandmother was a child.
My Aunt

My Aunt

 By Ana Miguel

“ My experience when I first voted felt amazing. I felt proud of myself. I realized how important it is to let people know what you think.”
My Grandmother

My Grandmother

 By Jacob Ramos

I found this machine in the basement and asked my mother what is was. Her response astounded me during our interview as she told me it was an alcohol distilling machine.
My Mother

My Mother

 By Javier De La Cruz

Before talking to my mom about her life I never really understood how hard being a woman in a poor family could be. Before, I just thought that men were the ones that would take care of the family.
Karla, My Mother

Karla, My Mother

 By Jessica Cortez

I would say that those who come from Hispanic or non-American roots have more interesting tales of relatives who journeyed far to come to the United States.
My Grandmother Alma Rosa Romero

My Grandmother Alma Rosa Romero

 By Jaime Graciano

When I was asked to do this essay, I had never thought about how women's voting originated. Now I know that women's voting in my family has grown over time.
My Mother

My Mother

 By Joshua Estrada

The assertion that men were superior to women and therefore not given the right to vote was not only unjust but, wrong in all moral values.
My Sister Sara

My Sister Sara

 By Kevin Munoz

In fact, anyone who is committed enough to helping and serving this country should be able to vote. You must speak up as the women did so a century ago
Olga Navarro

Olga Navarro

 By Martin Garcia

Doing research about my grandma made me feel like I had a strong connection with her unlike the way I did when she was still alive.
My Sister Evelyn

My Sister Evelyn

 By Omar Cruz

Evelyn plans to finish high school and then, she wants to go to college to further pursue her dream goal of becoming a doctor.
My Sister

My Sister

 By Ricardo Garcia

It is sad and hard to swallow the fact that it wasn't always this way, but in that reality, it is evident that women are now changing the world in major ways.
My Aunt

My Aunt

 By Preston Salazar

Whether it be for something as small as electing a mayor or something big as choosing the next United States President, everyone should be able to speak for themselves and should be heard.
My Great-Grandma

My Great-Grandma

 By Ramon Garcia

I was happy to hear that on my great-grandma's journey to the United States her sister tagged along with her and they faced an amazing journey together. They were rarely ever separated.
Aide Montemayor

Aide Montemayor

 By Samantha Montemayor

I feel that if today women were not able to vote while men could, I would feel very angry and disrespected, which would lead me to want to change that law.
My Grandmother

My Grandmother

 By Sophia Flores

Her influence is a strong presence in my life, and I admire her greatly; we think very similarly, and her own opinions or views influence my personal political opinions.