UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH OUR PARENT OF THE MONTH:
GRACIELA FLORES
Our parent of the month is Graciela Flores, also known as Alejandro’s mom.
Graciela was born in Lagos de Moreno, Jal, Mexico. She came from a family of 4 brothers and 4 sisters.
Graciela was an active young girl who enjoyed folklorico dancing and traveling with her dad, cousins and aunts. She was also quite an athlete and excelled in volleyball, and soccer. (she was a defender). (We now know where she will play during the mother/son game!).
Graciela attended Aguas Caliente College and studied chemistry and math. There she earned her Engineer of Chemistry degree.
Soon after completing her education, Graciela met Jesus through her sister. She had been a friend of Jesus’s niece. When Jesus met Graciela he was love struck. He said that “She was pretty, nice and very smart – she was different than any of the other girls. But most of all, she was never afraid to put me in my place!”..Graciela thought Jesus was handsome and nice, (even though he fought with his niece a lot). After 2 years of dating, Jesus wanted to marry Graciela. Seven years later, when Graciela came to the United States, they married in Chicago. Soon thereafter Graciela –14, Alejandro –10 and Ahtziri 8 were born to the Flores family.
Behind the quiet exterior of Graciela, there lies a thrill seeker. She loves to ride the roller coaster, “The Demon” at Great America as well as other attractions. Other members of her family describe her as a non-stop shopper who can marathon shop for hours, (Go Girl!). And somewhere around her house there is a picture of Graciela with Yahir – her favorite singer.
We hear her cooking skills are just okay – but her best dish is “Caldo de res” – maybe she’ll share it with us sometime.
Her daughter Graciela says that her mom is nice to her and her friends and she stays involved with whatever they are doing – her daughter thinks that is cool. And Ahtziri feels very close to her mom. Both girls know that they have a very strong and confident role model in their mother.
Graciela who is currently a technician in a manufacturing company was recently awarded the “Employee of the Month”. “That’s not a surprise, said her husband, considering all her wonderful qualities. But the only thing Graciela needs to work on is keeping track of her keys. She’s lost them 7 times lately, he said.
Graciela says that she really enjoys watching Alejandro play soccer, and you can often hear her cheering her support for Alejandro, especially when he makes a great pass or a goal.
Thank you Graciela for all your support of our boy’s soccer team and for being our Parent of the Month.
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