Gold: Presence
Jasmin Vega, a mother of three, is raising her 11-year-old daughter, Za’Ryah Hernandez-Ruffin, without her father, Deavoghn Hernandez-Ruffin, who was shot and killed on Father’s Day in 2012. Za’Ryah was eight months old. “I know what it was like not to have my father around for a period of my life,” says Jasmin. “He was active, very active. But then he went to prison for 10 years, and I yearned for him…To know that my daughter doesn't even remember a hug or kiss or anything from him bothers me, and it bothers her so badly.” Jasmin works hard to keep Deavoghn present in Za'Ryah's life and make the lives of all her children the best they can be. "Being present means not just saying what is available; It's doing. Its action. Presence is a verb…It's not a past-tense thing. It's what you do…As a mom, as a parent, and as a single parent, I have to be present."
Advocating for Za’Ryah
Jasmin speaks to a parent counselor at a parent-teacher conference at Rochester Prep, a charter school in Rochester, N.Y., on April 27, 2023, where Jasmin enrolled Za’Ryah in October 2022 after struggling to find the right fit. Za’Ryah performed poorly in classes throughout the year, which Jasmin was certain was due to undiagnosed ADHD. She constantly advocated for her daughter to receive extra time on assignments and special attention from teachers. Recently, Za’Ryah was properly diagnosed by a psychiatrist, and now she is medicated for the disorder.
