Cafeteria worker Marivel Escobedo exemplifies a unique kind of American Dream: someone who overcame childhood trauma and is now working in a school helping students achieve their dreams. Along with her husband Octavio, who works as the lead night custodian, Escobedo hopes to inspire a new generation of community leaders.

Escobedo’s childhood was anything but smooth. She lived in dangerous neighborhoods in East San Jose, where gang activity was prevalent.

“A lot of my family members were into gangs,” she said. “I wanted to take a different path.”

In third grade, Escobedo moved to Colorado for her father’s business. Her father worked in roofing and was one of the few professionals in the U.S. proficient with certain types of roofing material. After moving, she did not resume her education and her parents never insisted that do so. She did resume her education in her late teenage years and received her high school diploma at age 20.

At age 16, Escobedo also joined the Jobs Corps, a program aimed at helping low-income adolescents find jobs.

Through the program, she gained valuable job training and the expertise needed to open the next chapter of her life: joining the Marines.

Her inspiration stemmed from seeing Marines flying planes on television throughout her childhood.

Once she signed up, she hoped to become one of the first female jet pilots in the Marines. She wanted to be a trailblazer not only for her family but also for aspiring women around the country.

“Marines are always the first people in during a conflict situation, and I wanted to serve my country by blazing that path,” Escobedo said.

Escobedo cited her grandfather as her greatest influence in pursuing her dream to join the armed forces. Immigrating to the United States from Mexico nearly penniless, her grandfather worked his way up from farming to landowning, eventually becoming a millionaire through real estate.

Her grandfather supported her dream to become a Marine because he valued the notion of serving one’s country.

In an unexpected turn of events, however, she forfeited her goal of becoming a servicemember after becoming pregnant. The reality of having children, starting a family and gaining responsibility for her choices began to set in. Escobedo realized that, with the life-changing event, she could no longer chase her dreams in service, needing instead to settle down and take advantage of the skills she learned in the Jobs Corps. Thus, she shifted gears and turned to working in an educational setting in both custodial work and food services.

“I wasn’t able to become a Marine, but I am still very happy and satisfied with my career,” she said.

She said she enjoys seeing adolescents blossom through their time here on campus. Working at Saratoga High as a cafeteria employee since 2015, Escobedo has found satisfaction feeding the hundreds of aspiring young adults during break and lunch while encouraging them to write their own stories. She was inspired to join the school because she wanted Saratoga youth to experience a whole and complete education.

“It’s exciting to see all the activities [students] do and how kind they are,” Escobedo said. “Whenever I see students, I say hello or compliment them on their hair and hope they have a bright future.”

Her stories have taught her that great opportunities are awarded to people who set their minds up for improvement. She hopes that students will also explore the numerous different types of opportunities and paths people can take in their careers.

“Keep following [your] dreams and working hard, because in America, anything is possible,” Escobedo said.