Cristalina Ramirez remembers going to the fields in East Wenatchee as a young girl and watching her siblings and mother pick seasonal fruit, whether that was pears, apples, asparagus or cherries.
As Ramirez grew older, she eventually helped her mother work by picking cherries at the bottom of the tree. She said growing up in a family of farmworkers and seeing some workers live paycheck to paycheck without an understanding of English, instilled a desire to help others with similar experiences as her own.
Ramirez, senior sociology major with Spanish, comparative ethnic studies and at-risk youth minors, has kept that desire close to her heart throughout her undergraduate studies. Although Ramirez said she has experienced a fair share of uncertainty during college, one thing remained true her love for people.