The legacy of Francesca Ochoa, who died of COVID-19, will live on with an award for La Puente students – Pasadena Star News

His will always be more than just a name on a plaque. They will make sure.

The name on this award, the first Francesca P. Ochoa Community Sparks for Social Change award, is that of their mother.

All their lives, Gilda and Enrique Ochoa have said that the longtime teacher and activist stood for three pillars: love, justice and the fight for what is right.

“Our mother was a strong advocate who fundamentally believed in equal rights and justice for all,” her daughter said. “We have watched her in her words and daily actions at home, at work and on the streets where she has often seen protests in support of workers, immigrants and Black Lives Matter.”

Ochoa fought when she fell with it COVID-19[female[feminine despite all the necessary precautions. She fought for 11 days, telling her children over the phone that she loved them and making sure they informed the family of her condition. She died on February 8. She was 79 years old.

Less than 30 days before, shortly after President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Ochoa was thrilled to be the first in the family to text even Bernie Sanders and his famous woolen mittens sitting in front of her yard in Hacienda Heights.

Francesca Palazzolo, born in the Bronx, was the eldest daughter of Laura and Corrado Palazzolo, Sicilian immigrants who had completed a fifth grade education. Her mother worked at home and her father was a union organizer and sales agent for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union.

“She cried the first two or three weeks of kindergarten because her teacher and the other students couldn’t communicate with her,” her daughter said. “She was scared. Her mother stood outside the classroom door the first week of school, doing all she could to try to comfort her.

Teased by other students for being Sicilian, Ochoa continued to love school.

In 1960, Ochoa, his parents and his two sisters moved to California and finally settled in La Puente.

Even though she was the first to say she wasn’t a very good student, Ochoa thrived at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut. She received her BA in Spanish Language and Literature and her Teaching Diploma from Cal State Los Angeles.

She met her future husband at Cal State. Henry José Ochoa’s family had moved from Nicaragua to La Puente a few years before the Palazzolos. The couple ended up teaching at Hacienda Heights and La Puente. Henry taught at college in Cedarlane in 1967. His family remember that the principal, Gene Eddings, was the only person hiring him as a teacher at the time, as accent discrimination and racism were so prevalent.

His wife began teaching as a substitute in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District in 1968. In 1970, he was offered a job at Sparks Junior High. She often said that she couldn’t see herself being taught anywhere else, so deeply did she love the students and the community.

Ochoa’s 38 years at Sparks are marked by his legacy, bringing joy to literature and championing working class and Spanish speaking students. She was named the District Teacher of the Year in 1995, admired for her outspokenness and the ease with which she interacted with people.

Fernando Sanchez, director of La Puente High, remembers his former teacher as being tough but loving.

“There was no messing around in his classroom,” he said. “She made it clear that we were all special and that we were there to learn. She wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she believed in, she wasn’t afraid to express her thoughts. That’s what made her strong and good at what she did.

After retiring in 2008, Ochoa remained engaged in the community, working for education transformation and equitable representation on the HLPUSD school board, her daughter said. She could often be found at local protests and other events supporting immigrants, workers, Medicare, Teachers, Black Lives Matter, and Ethnic Studies.

She continued to learn while traveling. Henry died in 1989 and Ochoa would later leave the country for a month with his partner Jesse Henderson.

She liked music, dancing, traveling, gardening, discovering others, playing the Lexulous online crossword game, and attend sporting events, especially high school basketball tournaments. She loved to read Walter Mosley and August Wilson.

To honor their father, Enrique and Gilda established an after-school program in Cedarlane and recognized the graduates of Wilson High School, both in Hacienda Heights. To recognize their mother, they decided to give prizes, rather than scholarships, to students who “are engaged for social good and engaged in the betterment of society through social activism or community work. “.

Fernando Sanchez accelerated the process to establish the award at La Puente High and honor its first recipients, all seniors from La Puente High School who also graduated from the beloved Sparks Middle School in Ochoa.

The winners, Berenice De Anda, Jaden Oquendo and Fátima Pulido have worked for political campaigns, taught elementary school students, volunteered to distribute food and clothing at church, and used their bilingual skills to work at vaccination sites. They received their awards on July 10 at a ceremony outside Sparks Middle School.

Fátima Pulido, 18, from La Puente, who plans to double major in nursing and humanities at Azusa Pacific University, said she admires Ochoa’s dedication to family and future generations.

“What I admire most about Ms. Ochoa is the way she took time for everything that interested her, like protesting, going to basketball games, keeping in touch with her students and have been so passionate about Sparks Middle School for over 30 years. She will forever inspire me to be a better person every day and I will continue to try to be a “spark” of her legacy throughout my life. “

Berenice De Anda, 17, from La Puente, will major in political science and sociology at UC Riverside. She said Ochoa sparked a precious cycle of optimism and hope.

“Educators have the power to influence and teach students the truth no matter how disturbing and hurtful the truth can be,” Berenice said. “As a teacher, Ms. Ochoa has inspired and motivated her students. Someday these same students will inspire someone else. Most importantly, she has helped children from low income and marginalized communities, and because of that, she is one of the few people that I adore. “

Jaden Oquendo, 18, of West Covina, said like Ochoa, that he would be the first in his family to go to college. He will be attending UCLA in the fall, majoring in business communication.

“She held a spark that so many of us desperately need, and if it weren’t for her selfless nature, who knows where the people of La Puente would be? Oquendo said. “I hope I can one day build a legacy that shows I care about our world the way she did.”

Fernando Sanchez, a former student and now an educator himself, said Francesca P. Ochoa was a true leader and educator, and she will never be forgotten.

“I say this as I remember his smile and his firm voice,” Sanchez said. “The idea of ​​her name and what she stood for to have a chance to stay in our community is what this community needs. They need to remember that our educators care about us and that we do everything we can to make sure our students are successful in class and in life.