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Freshman Rosario Ayala, left, and her
mother, Lucia Salas. |
PULLMAN – WSU presented the 2010 Mom of the Year Award to Lucia Salas during the annual Mom’s Weekend Brunch on Saturday, April 10. Salas was nominated by her daughter Rosario Ayala, a freshman at WSU.
A resident of Grandview, Salas was described by her daughter as a person who loves to help people, a hard worker, and a supportive mother.
Salas moved to the United States eight years ago with her husband and three children. She works in the apple and cherry fields in Grandview. Besides her work and taking care of Ayala’s brother and a sister with a mental disability, Salas is involved in the community.
She is a three year representative for the migrant council, a member of the GEAR UP committee, and secretary of a program for migrant children. Additionally, she is a teacher for 3rd and 4th graders in her church and is taking English classes at a community college.
Ayala said her mother is helping her with tuition costs by making food to sell to field workers.
“Also, recently,” Ayala said, “she made more than 50 Valentine’s Day decorations to sell, just to help pay for my tuition. My mother is a hard worker who never gives up.”
Salas’ best advice to her daughter is, “The harder you work, the more you will accomplish. The stronger you are, the more you will succeed,” Ayala said.
The other finalists for the Mom of the Year Award were Olynda Stone of Spokane, nominated by her daughter Francesca White, a junior at WSU; and Laurie Renner of Tacoma, nominated by her daughter Kimberly Renner, a WSU sophomore.
The Mom of the Year Award is coordinated by the Mom’s Weekend Committee under the direction of the Women’s Resource Center. The award is presented each year to recognize the impact mothers make on their children’s lives and to honor their personal achievements and their contributions to WSU and their local community.