My Name is Emily Vasquez Ross, I just turned 14 when my beautiful mother Sugie Lane Vasquez was murdered by my father Rogelio Guerra Vasquez, I was paralyzed with grief. One of the most difficult things I had to avoid throughout the years was the black hole of despair, its a lot to relive this trauma everyday, you don’t want this to be your story. I talked everyday about the void that only my mom could fill. Desperate to make sense out of this tragedy I wondered what she would want me to do. I came to understand that my mom didn’t want me to move on; she wanted me to move forward.

I realized I could make something positive out of this unfathomable tragedy. I felt a deep sense of responsibility to make a difference in the lives of all the Sugie’s we will never know.