Sonya Flores was born February 7, 1995, in Mexico. Her ethnic group is Hispanic, and her linguistic group is Spanish. Sonya is nine years old but only in second grade because she was held back a year in kindergarten to help her to become more fluent in English. Sonya has a dark complexion, brown eyes, and dark brown hair. She seems to be very intelligent, outgoing, and well-behaved. Sonya’s social life is limited at school, but she plays on the community soccer team and is part of the youth group at her church.

Although there are a variety of Indian dialects used in Mexico, Spanish is the primary language that is spoken there. Both of Sonya’s parents were also born in Mexico, and they decided to move to Florida when Sonya was two years old. The Flores family was having financial difficulties while in Mexico and moved to America to seek a better life. Sonya has two younger siblings that were born in Florida: a sister, age seven, and a brother, age five. The only language that is spoken at home is Spanish, because the father only speaks minimal English. The mother speaks enough English to function at a survival level, as in being able to buy items at the market, etc. The children are all in the ESOL program at school, and Sonya is the most fluent in English.

Sonya’s father is a migrant worker and leaves Florida during the summer to work in Washington State. This causes some emotional trouble for the family, but her father feels that this is the best choice economically. Sonya’s grades and behavior are known to decline when her father is away. Sonya’s mother also works full time as a cashier. Since all the Flores’ children are in school during the day, Sonya’s mother works in a market near their home. When she works late, a neighbor watches the children until she comes home. With both parents working, the family can afford the necessities (food, water, electricity, air conditioning/heat).

The community the Flores’ family resides in consists primarily of Hispanics. The community is of low SES, and many of the residents walk or take buses to work. It is a close community and the residents help each other with child care and other needs. The elementary, middle, and high schools are all within walking distance, and this is how many of the children get to and from school.