In the fall of 1979, 9-year-old Elena Velasquez stepped off a plane in Port Angeles, Washington, completely unaware of how her life was about to change. She had just made her first flight from Juarez, Mexico, along with her siblings and her mother. The family was coming to meet up with her father who was living on the West End of Clallam County. The Pacific Northwest wasn’t what Elena and her family expected when they were told they were going on “vacation.” But this vacation was, in fact, a permanent move to Forks, Washington—a place that would become her home in ways she never imagined.
“I remember eating a hot dog for the first time and getting so sick on the airplane,” Elena recalled in an interview done in 2005. “I ruined my fake fur coat. It was my first hot dog, and it was my first flight. I was nervous and didn’t know what was happening.”
Leaving behind her life in Juarez, Elena soon realized that her family’s “vacation” wasn’t just a temporary stay. They moved into a small travel trailer in Forks, and after a few weeks, she and her siblings were enrolled in school. That’s when it became clear—they weren’t going back to Mexico.
Elena recalls the adjustment to school being one of the hardest parts. “One of the first things I remember is the school changing our names. We all lost part of our first names. I thought it was really sad,” she says. Elena didn’t speak any English, and although her teacher knew some Spanish, they didn’t speak it to her. “I hated school. I didn’t know what was going on, and I would go home and cry.”
To make things even more challenging, her mother was advised not to speak Spanish at home. “We all learned English together by watching Sesame Street.” Despite the hardships, Elena found humor in the situation, later taking Spanish in high school and earning an A-.
However, despite learning the language, Elena missed the sense of identity that came with her cultural heritage. “I went through stages to become the person I am today,” she says. “A lot of adjustment to America has to do with the age you come here.” But she was determined to maintain some of her cultural roots, even as she grew more “Americanized.”
After graduating high school, Elena’s original dream of becoming an accountant took a backseat when life took her in a new direction. She began volunteering at the school, and by 1992, she was hired for the first bilingual position in Forks. “I didn’t want students to fall behind just because of language issues. I made sure their names were pronounced correctly and not changed like mine had been.”
After four years of hard work, Elena earned her teaching degree and went on to teach US history in a bilingual program. “I wanted to be there for kids who felt lost like I did when I first came.”
Over time, Elena became more than just a teacher—helping students struggling to find their place in a new country. She observed changes within her own community, noticing the importance of maintaining language and family bonds. “I think a lot is lost when the language is lost. We’ve lost kids to drugs because they can’t find their place.”
In 2005, Elena reflected on her life in Forks during an interview, saying, “I am a mentor, an advocate, and a counselor. I see a lot of changes since 1979.” Her role in the community continued to grow, as she helped families navigate the complexities of life in a new country, much like her own family had done decades earlier.
Today, almost 20 years after that interview, Elena marvels at how much the Forks community has progressed. “Our demographics have shifted, and I feel we’re becoming much more inclusive, especially within our schools. Many local agencies now offer interpreting and translating services.”
Elena also proudly observes the growing number of Hispanic-owned businesses in the area, and how many bilingual graduates have returned as teachers, nurses, and entrepreneurs. She points to the success of events like the Día de Culturas and the thriving Que Pasa en Forks Facebook page as signs of a more inclusive community.
Now, Elena looks forward to spending the rest of her life in Forks. “When I first arrived in 1979, I was miserable. I didn’t understand why we had to stay here, living in a travel trailer, in the cold and wet weather, where I didn’t understand others and they didn’t understand me. Now I say that I want to die in Forks when I’m 110 years old!”
Elena Velasquez’s story is one of resilience, growth, and the power of community. She transformed from a scared 9-year-old immigrant who spoke no English to a respected teacher and mentor, deeply embedded in the Forks community. Today Elena Velasquez is the Principal at Forks Middle School and the QVSD Multilingual and Migrant Programs Director, using her own experience to better the lives of others.
