Months Before Getting Her Masters, This Latina Found A Letter From Her Father That Will Make You Cry

Jorge Rodriguez-Jimenez - 06/20/17 - You Earned It
credit: Courtesy of Gabriela Alfaro

Gabriela Alfaro, 23, just graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a masters in Education. Just months before her graduation, her mother found and showed her a letter her father wrote when he was learning English. Alfaro’s father began learning English to help his daughter with her homework. Alfaro talked to mtiú about the letter, her graduation, and her future plans. Be warned. This tweet will make you want to grab the tissues and call your parents.

Gabriela Alfaro and her father Carlos went viral on Twitter thanks to this tweet.

On the right is a photo of Gabriela and her father Carlos. On the left was a long-lost letter her father wrote when she was a little girl.

“It is amazing to see how fast some kids can learn the things we teach them. I have a daughter who just turn (sic) 6 years old,” reads the letter. “My wife and I used to read her books since she was 2 years old. Now that she is in kindergarden, (sic) her teacher said that it’s hard to believe how good she can read and spell. The teacher thinks that she reads as good as a third grade kid. My daughter enjoys reading, we try to buy her lots of books, sometimes we go to the library, where she can read as much as she wants. Also, we check out up to 20 books for her to read at home. That’s one of the reason (sic) why I decided to go back to school. I want to be able to help (sic) her do the homework and show her that the only way to make her dreams come true is through education.”

Gabriela first saw the letter a few months ago. She remembers her father going to school when she was just a small child.

CREDIT: Courtesy of Gabriela Alfaro

“The letter stands for everything that my dad came to this country to do,” Gabriela told mitú about the importance of the letter, which she admits made her cry. “Not only for my sisters and I, but for himself. It’s what I define the American dream to be.”

As the letter would imply, Gabriela told mitú that her parents have always told her that an education was not up for discussion.

CREDIT: Courtesy of Gabriela Alfaro

“Since I was young, my parents have always put a lot of emphasis on education. Both of them were born in Mexico to low-income families and they knew that this country offered opportunities for those who worked for them,” Gabriela told mitú. “To my parents, me being born here was already an advantage and they wanted me to use that to the fullest. That meant getting good grades to further my chances of success. So going into high school, I already had this mentality of wanting to do well for myself, to make myself proud, but also to show my parents that their sacrifices and struggles were paying off.”

And it seems fitting that Gabriela’s next phase in life will be teaching.

CREDIT: Courtesy of Gabriela Alfaro

“I got hired to teach English for the San Bernardino City School District, which I’m super happy about because that is where I went to high school,” Gabriela told mitú about what the future has in store for her. “I don’t know whether I’ll be in a middle or high school yet, but I have a few interviews with principals lined up.”

Since posting the tweet June 19, it has already racked up more than 180,000 likes and more than 40,000 retweets because… emotions.

Gabriela’s father’s words have resonated all over Twitter and people are celebrating this rediscovered letter. Gabriela said that within than 12 hours of posting the photos, her phone was flooded with positive and heart warming messages from people who related to her story. Though her father now knows that he is “Twitter famous,” it was a surprise to him since he didn’t even know what Twitter was, Gabriela said.

The sheer emotion in the letter brought so many people to tears.

Like, soooo many tears.

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Her tweet is giving people the motivation they need to finish their own academic goals.

People were celebrating their own parents’ sacrifices for their education.

“I absolutely love all of the feedback the tweet has been getting,” Gabriela told mitú. “I’ve had people message me thanking me for posting the note and picture, saying that it was inspirational or that they could relate.”

Others were sharing their own stories of have immigrant parents who sacrificed for their children to succeed.

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Some are even celebrating Carlos’ articulate, pro-education argument.

The importance of an education is something that Gabriela took very seriously so that she could show her parents that their sacrifices and hard work have paid off.

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READ: She Shared A Photo Recreating Her Mother’s Graduation Photo But So Many People Are Obsessed With The Family’s Beauty

 

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