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Alongside my family after graduating from CSU Bakersfield.
I’m the son of Mexican immigrants who came to this country with nothing but their work ethic and a hope for a better future.
I grew up poor, John, and life wasn’t easy. I remember sleeping on the top bunk in the living room of a one-bedroom apartment.
I started working with my parents as a kid -- selling odds and ends at the swap meet on weekends, then learning to change oil and fix brakes in my dad’s auto shop when I got older.
My parents never finished high school, but they taught me what mattered: dignity, family, community, and work.
I was the first in my family to graduate college, and I earned a PhD because I wanted to come back home and teach Valley kids like me.
Today, I’m a college professor and an elected school board trustee. I ran for office to give back to the place that raised me -- and to make sure more students get the kind of shot my parents fought so hard to give me.
I know what it’s like to hold a flashlight under the hood of a car. I’ve stood next to students crying in my office because they couldn’t afford rent and tuition -- and I’ve made it my life’s work to fight for families like mine.
The truth is so many in our Valley are still struggling. Our communities are working harder than ever, and still falling behind. Meanwhile billionaires and corporations hoard more than they’ll ever need.
I never want to look back and feel like I stayed quiet while my students and my community were under attack.
Some stay silent because it’s easier -- or because they’re paid to. But I’ve made a different choice: to show up, speak out, and fight back -- no matter what it costs.
This community deserves someone who knows this Valley -- and who’s ready to fight like hell for it.
Thank you for being part of this.
Con gratitud,
Randy
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