Teresita and Jesus Romo, after whom a scholarship for first-generation students was named.
Martin Romo ’89 recalls a story about his grandmother teaching his grandfather how to read and write. These skills proved critical when they immigrated from Mexico to the United States — and gave rise to a passion for education that has passed down through the generations. Now the family is giving other students the opportunity to study at Berkeley.
Martin’s parents, Teresita and Jesus Romo (pictured), worked hard throughout their lives. Jesus was a firefighter and, ultimately, a chief. Today he is an artist whose most acclaimed commission — a tribute to the courage he witnessed daily in his earlier career — is the California Firefighters Memorial in Sacramento. Teresita worked in state government and raised their six children, all of whom graduated from the University of California (five from Berkeley and one from Santa Cruz). She enrolled at Berkeley later in life and graduated in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.
To mark the couple’s 50th wedding anniversary last fall, Martin and his wife, Leesa ’88, along with the Romo family, established the Teresita and Jesus Romo Scholarship so that more first-generation students will receive a rewarding academic and life-changing education that reflects their family’s shared experience.
Says Martin, “If we can make a small dent in helping students fund their education — in our parents’ name — it’s a lovely way to honor them.”
He also recalls how his mother aided other family members and friends on the pathway to school. “She helped facilitate their dreams,” he says. “This scholarship creates a legacy out of her inspiration.”
