Growing up on a sweet potato farm, I was proud of my hardworking parents but faced judgment at a fancy city high school. Classmates mocked my farm background, making me hide my roots. During a fundraiser, I brought homemade sweet potato pies, which sold out fast. My counselor encouraged me to embrace my identity, and a popular student, Izan, asked for a pie
for his mom. Inspired, I started “Mele’s Roots,” selling farm-to-table pies. Orders poured in, and I shared my family’s story through school projects, even creating a documentary about our farm. To my surprise, classmates embraced it, and I realized owning my story was my strength. I’m a farmer’s daughter—not less, but rooted.
