Jennifer Escobar is exactly the type of young woman that makes Huntington High School such a special place. The junior is challenging herself academically and digging deeper into all of her classes. The teenager recently developed an award winning historical paper for this year’s National History Day contest.
“Since this was my first time participating in this initiative, I had no prior experience [developing a project],” Ms. Escobar said. “I came in with many questions and sometimes I doubted my capabilities. But with the help of my teacher and the internet, I quickly got the hang of it. When I first started the project, I already knew I wanted to investigate something that involved the Chicano movement or immigrants, since that affects me personally. The very first topic I was interested in was the Hernandez v. Texas case, but that did not work out because there were very few sources. Then came along my teacher who suggested that I research the Delano Grape Strike.”
Huntington High School junior Jennifer Escobar
Like any good young historian, Ms. Escobar engaged in quite a bit of research before evaluating all of the material and trying to put it into better perspective.
“At first, I believed the Delano Grape Strike was not an event that caused tremendous change, but I sure was wrong,” Ms. Escobar said. “The strike involved several activists, particularly Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez who on behalf of the migrant farmworkers fought for better working conditions. This has to do with this year’s theme of ‘Communication in History: The Key to Understanding’ because strikers communicated their opinions and wishes not only through words, but also through actions. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.”
Ms. Escobar took her time developing, writing and editing her paper. She made a strong connection to this year’s National History Day theme.
“Through communication, strikers and activists alike, were able to come together and show why migrant farmworkers needed justice,” Ms. Escobar said. “In this way, they would be understood by the opposing side. As I said earlier, I had never participated in any project like this before. So concerning research, I just looked at newspapers and secondary sources to accumulate information about the topic. This way, I gained background information and important facts, which aided me with my research. I chose to create a paper because I found it comfortable as a starting point for the project.”
The process of writing an extensively researched and well-cited historical paper was educational in and of itself. It was also exhausting.
“While writing my paper, I found I could express and recreate key events from the Delano Grape Strike through words so that the reader could imagine what it was like for the activists and farmworkers during this event,” Ms. Escobar said. “This wouldn’t be a reflection without my personal experience with the project. Since I juggle three other Advanced Placement classes and a part time job, I found it hard to keep up with the work. But, as I progressed through, I gained a major skill; time management.”
The teenager is an excellent student. She qualified for the high school’s high honor roll and Ms. Escobar takes all of her classes seriously and devotes the time and attention all of them deserve.
“My historical argument was that the Delano Grape Strike did bring change to the lives of migrant farmworkers,” Ms. Escobar said. “Prior to the strike, farmworkers faced miserable working conditions, which are by all means horrific. Many faced hunger and others were injured on the job. After the Delano Grape Strike, agricultural workers started seeing positive changes in insurance and better pay. My topic is significant because it exemplifies all the hard work put into gaining better working conditions for farmworkers. It serves as evidence that with determination and patience, almost anything can be accomplished.”
Teachers who served as National History Day judges as well as Ms. Escobar’s social studies were all impressed with her work.
“Jennifer has put an incredible effort into everything we’ve done this year, especially National History Day,” Advanced Placement US History teacher Kenneth Donovan said. “This was her first time engaging in a research project of this nature and she didn’t let any of the normal challenges deter her. In the end she produced a well-written, comprehensive paper on the Delano Grape Strike.”
