For many second-generation Latino students in the Wenatchee Valley, it is a question that is poignantly felt: How much of where you come from will determine where you’re going? Often, the answer is neither black nor white, but somewhere in the gray area. For senior Teresa Bendito, her childhood and her family has molded her hopes for the future.

“My parents have just always said that they want me to get a better education and a better future, and that definitely shows me what selflessness is. That makes me want to be like them, even though I obviously won’t have to go through some of the same struggles. But I still want to be able to show that same kind of love and selflessness to others,” Bendito said.

Bendito’s parents immigrated to the United States 22 years ago to give Bendito and her siblings the life they never had, and Bendito has been doing her best to honor them and her heritage.

Growing up in Wenatchee, Bendito found her purpose living in an apartment complex for agricultural workers. Her parents, working at the time in orcharding, lived with her and her siblings among other families.

“When I’d see those older people, those migrant workers, and they’d come around with their injuries or problems with their ankle or their wrists that they might’ve sprained while working or picking cherries, I specifically remember I’d help them out the most I could. There wasn’t very much I could do, but I’d tell them to put ice on it, or see a doctor, or wait a few days,” Bendito said.

From there, Bendito’s future began to grow. As an eighth-grader, Bendito consulted with Sports Medicine trainer and educator Dale Blair to enter the sports medicine program early on and has stuck with the program throughout all four years of high school.

“He let me do the after-school program, so I went in there every day after school for around two hours. I never got enough of that room,” said Bendito. “It’s really helped me see that I enjoy working with people and helping others. Normally when there’s blood there are people that run away and are like ‘Ew, you do it!’ and I’m like ‘Thank you!’ I’ll put on my gloves and I’ll be ready to help out.”

But Bendito did not stop there. Bendito pushed herself to accomplish an astonishing amount of academic achievement in her high school career, tackling six AP classes in two years. Working in school and studying at home, her parents have always been in the back of her mind.

“I’ve been able to push myself past my comfort zone. Obviously my GPA isn’t a 4.0, but at least I’m someone that tried and pushed herself throughout all four years of high school. I didn’t take the easy route. I could have, but I knew that because of all the sacrifices my parents have made I couldn’t lag along,” Bendito said.

As Bendito worked through all four years of high school, her parents and her siblings worked diligently alongside her to further their education. Often, Bendito would come home to find every member of her family studying. After earning their GEDs and struggling with the English language, Bendito’s parents are now studying at Wenatchee Valley College while working full-time jobs. Bendito’s father works night shifts packaging in fruit warehouses.

“The work that they do here is not the easiest of them all,” Bendito said. “The labor that they do demands so much on their bodies. I know they might deteriorate faster. They come home, and they don’t complain too much, but they have aches. I know that they want to do something more, but they can’t right now. But as you grow up, you know. You start noticing it… So sometimes I’d think, ‘Teresa, you’re not even working. If your dad can get going on his schoolwork, then you can, too.’”

For all she has been given, Bendito now does her best in school to not only excel academically, but give back to her community as well. Bendito has been a member of the WHS Key Club for four years, serving this year as the regional Lieutenant Governor. She has earned four varsity letters in community service, plus the 500 Club award last year as well. Racking up more than 800 hours of community service, her most cherished accomplishment is the Aztec dance group she started. Educating grade school students on Aztec dance styles, Bendito and the children performed at the Wenatchee Valley Museum for Multicultural Day.

“A lot of times it’s hard to admit that you’re of a different race or that you’re just different. But I want the little kids to learn from a young age that being ethnically diverse is actually really amazing, and that they should be proud of their roots and their heritage,” Bendito said.

From here, Bendito will move on to pursue pre-medicine at Eastern Washington University, but that’s just the beginning of her bigger plans for her future.

“I actually want to come back to Eastern Washington and create a program that brings medical services on site to fields and orchards for those migrant workers,” Bendito said. “Because I know that some of them cannot afford a doctor, and it’s been years since some of them have seen a dentist or an eye doctor. I want to somehow bring those services to them. Since I have a passion for it and I do come from that background, I don’t think there will be anything that’ll stop me.”