Author Reyna Grande's message of hope; chase your dream

Mexican-born author Reyna Grande's message to Leyden students and staff is very clear: Pursue your dreams. Never give up. Believe in yourself.

Over a period of two days in mid-February, Grande spoke to students and staff at the East and West campuses during four all-school assemblies. She also met with community members at an early evening reception held at West Leyden on February 18. She was warmly received by those who had read her poignant, candid and inspiring story as told in her award-winning memoir, The Distance Between Us.

In her book, Grande chronicles her life beginning at the age of two when her father left his wife and family in Iguala, Mexico and went to El Otro Lado - the other side - with idea of harnessing a better life so he could one day bring his family to America.

When she was 4 years-old, Grande's mother left Iguala to join her husband in Los Angles. She left the author and two other children with their indifferent and often cruel grandmother. Seven years later, at the age of nine, Grande and her siblings crossed the border as undocumented immigrants with an uncertain future. She found life in America to be constant struggle as she dealt with unstable family relationships, abandonment issues, prejudice and poverty. Yet in spite of the challenges, Grande remained focused, seeking her true identity and fulfilling her potential.

"You set goals and you achieve them," Grande told Leyden students. "I didn't give up. I wanted to get a Green Card, own a home, be a writer, be an award-winning author and be on same stage with Sandra Cisernos. It took me more than twenty years, but I did it."

Grande addressed several themes represented in the book including the impact of the cycle of poverty, remembering where you came from, immigration issues, forgiveness and learning to accept people for who they are.

Referring to the strained relationship she had with her mother, Grande said when she was a child she saw her mother as the person who abandoned her. "But as I was writing the book, I had to look at my mother as a character in the book," she recalls. "I had to research who she is and how she got that way. That helped me to take my mother for who she is, not for who I wanted her to be."

Regarding immigration issues, Grande noted that a person like presidential hopeful Donald Trump can be a motivator when it comes to inspiring immigrants into action. "Historically, we're humble, low-key people," Grande says. "Trump gets people to talk about issues. He pushes buttons. We need someone like him to make us take action. He forces us to be our best selves - hardworking, talented and contributors to society."

Grande dedicated her memoir to her father, Natalio Grande, and 'to all DREAMers'. "I won't forget where I came from," says the author, referring to the impoverished town where she was born. "But I also know the importance of thinking about the future and following your dreams. If I had not left Iguala I'd be working in the tortilla factory for $45 a week. I wanted a better life."