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| Nineteen-year-old Juana Pacheco is the oldest of four children in
a Salvadoran family who came to the United States four years ago. Her mother moved
to Washington, D.C. first to work for an American family who sponsored her for citizenship;
she later sent for her husband and children. Two years ago, Juana's parents grew tired of their stressful life in the United States and returned to El Salvador, deserting their children. Juana dropped out of school and assumed the parental role for her younger brothers and sisters. During this time she also met her boyfriend, Antonio, and became pregnant. Her parents have since returned to the United States, but Juana still plays a key role in holding the family together with financial and emotional support. She tried to return to high school while caring for her child, however, the burden was too much for her and she was receiving poor grades. Juana decided that if she wanted to succeed in school she had to give her child up for a while. For the past year and a half her son, Carlos, has been living in El Salvador with his grandparents and Juana has been working hard to make a future for her son. |
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