Yocelina is 17 years old and is a senior at South Dade High. She was born in Sebring and raised in Homestead by her parents. Her mother is a domestic worker, and her father is a construction worker, who both migrated to the U.S. from Mexico.
Yocelina is the oldest of three children and will be the first in her family to graduate from high school. She values her family and is an active leader in her community who advocates for her undocumented parents. She has taken part in lobbying, marches, and rallies that stop family separation and protect the rights of workers like her parents.
Artist statement:
“To start with, I painted three canvasses, and each have a different message.
The first one (right) I drew which has a gray background is about the life during COVID like how there is lack of money and benefits for families in low-income communities.
The second one (left) is also about life during COVID, which shows how we have been in quarantine and how food has been something that families have been affected by and how buying groceries at the store has also changed during these past months. It shows how social distance is something that everyone should be doing to stay safe and healthy.
The final painting (middle) shows two sides which the first side describes who I am and what I like doing. While the second half of the canvas shows what is precious and important to me in this world, which is my family.”
