By Ava Pequette, Velocity Contributor
“Packing one bag to move to a whole different country is impossible right?” Lilliana Avelar, 18, said.
Avelar and her family had to do just that about eight years ago, when she was 10 years old.
“My parents wanted a better life for us kids, and coming to the United States was their plan,” said Avelar.
Moving from Guadalajara, Mexico was not an easy change for the Avelar family. Avelar’s parents only spoke a little bit of English, so getting a job, going to school, and just doing daily tasks was hard for them.
At first it felt like it wasn’t worth it to move to a different country to them, but eventually it paid off. And Avelar is the type of person who never gives up.
“Even when things got hard, I couldn’t let that hurt me. We came here for a reason, and that reason was for a better life,” she said.
Avelar wasn’t going to let anything in her way stop her from living her dream life.
The first day at her new school, she was filled with so many different emotions. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she was dressed nice to make a good first impression on her teachers. She was scared, nervous, excited all at the same time. She had her schedule in her hands, but she couldn’t read it because her hands were so shaky.
“I remember that exact moment,” she said, “ but then I saw someone approaching me.”
A boy with brown hair, dressed in khaki shorts and a polo for the first day of school, slowly came up to Avelar.
“Hi, I’m Orlando,” he said, “Do you need some help?’
From then on Orlando Ojeda and Lilliana Avelar were best friends. He was the first person to talk to Avelar at her new school. He would even walk her to every class to make sure she went to the right one.
“From packing a singular bag, to being able to live in a house, to playing volleyball, I just want to thank my parents for all of their hard work, and not giving up to give our family a better life.”
MV Volleyball Player Lilliana Avelar
At the Avelars’ new apartment, all three sisters had to share a room. Everything was so close knit, but that is what they were used to back in Guadalajara too.
“Sharing a room with my three sisters wasn’t actually that bad,” Avelar said. “The only time we would fight was over clothes.”
They all had to share the same closet, so their clothes would get mixed up all the time. Avelar remembers one time when they actually ripped a shirt in half because they were pulling on it so hard.
“We were so mad, just tugging and tugging on either end of the shirt, and it just ripped,” she said. “We both flew backwards. And we all started laughing.”
They couldn’t even be mad at each other anymore. That moment turned into a funny memory they will never forget. And they learned a lesson to just share so their favorite shirt didn’t end up in two different pieces again.
After being in the United States for about three years, Avelar’s parents were able to afford a small house. The house was tan with a big red front door that stood out compared to the rest of the houses on that street. This was a big accomplishment for the Avelar family.
“This was the reason we came to the United States,” Avelar said. “These new opportunities are endless.”
Coming to the United States, Avelar was able to pursue her hobby of volleyball. She made her school volleyball team and helped them win the conference championship two years in a row.
“Playing volleyball is the thing I love, and having the opportunity to come here and play has been such an amazing experience,” she said.
She didn’t want volleyball to end with high school. Out of nowhere one day, she received an offer to play volleyball at Moraine Valley Community College. She was so ecstatic, she was running around her house.
“Having another chance to play volleyball was the best feeling ever,” she said. “I wasn’t ready to be done with it yet, and here I am playing the sport I love still.”
Avelar was the type of player to always give 100 percent. No matter if she was playing a really bad team, or the top team in their conference. She would always be diving on the floor and giving it her all.
At Moraine Valley, she has been a key player in getting the team to Region 4 finals, which took place Nov. 5 against Sauk Valley Community College. Though the Cyclones lost at regionals, Avelar collected 28 digs.
As high school came to an end, Avelar didn’t want to leave her best friend Ojeda. And then one day, he had a huge surprise to tell her. He told her that he was also going to Moraine Valley, to play soccer. The two of them were so happy for each other.
“We were both doing what we love, and we are still able to be with each other,” Avelar said.
Avelar is living her best life in Palos Hills at a college she loves, with the people she loves the most. She didn’t let anything drag her down, and is able to pursue her dream of playing volleyball at a higher level.
“From packing a singular bag, to being able to live in a house, to playing volleyball, I just want to thank my parents for all of their hard work, and not giving up to give our family a better life.”
Velocity 
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