My name is Regina Moreno Sanchez. I am a Santa Monica College junior pursuing a psychology major (and applying to transfer to a four-year university). I want to become a clinical psychologist one day.

I was born and raised in a small town in Puebla, Mexico, called Libres Puebla. My story draws back to my time in Mexico, as I moved back and forth between my relative’s houses. Due to the economy and difficulty of serving in Mexico, my mother, being a single mother, sought it best to migrate for the first time to New York, leaving my older sister and me in the hands of my grandmother, who, although was an alcoholic, became like a mother to my sister and me, quickly she became my “safe place.” At some point, gathering enough money to care for us, my mother moved back home to finally be with us. By the time I was five, she had decided to immigrate again, this time to Los Angeles (where I currently live). Once again, my older sister and I were under the care of my grandmother; however, due to her drinking problem, my sister and I moved into our aunt’s house along with her family; sadly, around the time I turned seven years old my grandmother passed away because of the liver fail that the alcohol consumption caused, this was a dark time in my life because although I had a roof over my head, I feared not having someone to rely on, I simply could not imagine the rest of my life without the person who made me feel safe and loved. As I continued to live with my aunt, I was constantly reminded that I was only living in her house because they received payment that benefited them. Two years after my grandmother’s death, my older sister and I were kicked out of her home because of arguments between my aunt and my mother. With all that was happening, my mother asked my Uncle and his family to receive us in their home. I lived under their care from the age of nine up until the age of eleven. During this time, I learned unique skills, such as taking care of farm animals like donkeys, cows, some goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens; I also became the “second mom” to my baby cousins, whom I cared for daily. Although from the outside, it seemed like I was an independent child who looked after my own safety, from the inside, I was the most insecure kid. I became uncertain of my worth, as I constantly heard how unwanted I was anywhere I went. I always compared my life to the life of my cousins, who seemed to have everything I desired: a family and unconditional love.

Finally, after six years, my family was reunited as my sister and I moved to Los Angeles to be with my mother; it was all a new and fresh beginning. However, I kept coming across unexpected challenges, such as adjusting to having a stepfather and a stepsister, and the most significant of all obstacles was learning a new language ( English). At school, I got bullied for not knowing how to communicate in English other than knowing how to say, “ Sorry, I don’t speak English .”I will never forget how achieved I felt the day I got the news that I had officially passed my ESL assessment test, indicating that I no longer was considered an English learner five years after I arrived in the U.S. This year in November, I will turn nine years since I got to the United States. This year brought many unexpected challenges and blessings, such as turning two years since I became a Christian and becoming an older sister to a baby girl born on November 2nd. I have grown this year in my character, as I did not realize that the significant wounds from my childhood had not yet healed. When my baby sister was born, I could not help but compare once again my childhood to what her childhood could potentially look like as she will have all I desired to have as a child, both mother and father present in her life, who can lead her and teach her what love should look like. After going through a healing process, I created La Monarca to share some of my life experiences as a twenty-year-old woman who has learned meaningful lessons through these experiences while also seeing them through the lenses of psychology, allowing me to practice my knowledge as a psychology student. I want you, as the reader, to get to know me through my anecdotes.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being part of my journey.

- Regina.