The Decision
Mexico and Brazil were in a fierce battle to advance during the 2014 world cup. What Edgar Sanjuan remembers most vividly had nothing to do with the outcome, as he had to decide to support is family by forfeiting his college education.
“It was actually one of the hardest moments in my life,” Sanjuan said. “It was actually very traumatic, because I saw him in the hospital bed and his left face was paralyzed and he was still trying to smile. I started crying and he was trying his best to smile to make me not cry anymore.”
According to Census Reporter, Sanjuan falls into the quarter of the Canoga Park population who have completed some college but did not receive a degree. He would have to stop attending L.A. Pierce College to support his family financially, when his father couldn’t.
“He didn’t want me to drop out at first though, because he wanted me to be in school, but at that time I made the ultimate decision to sacrifice my education to help out my family,” Sanjuan said. “By that time, we were already short on rent, so I had to take odd jobs at the moment until I found a real job, and I’ve been working ever since.”
Even after his father had recovered, Sanjuan would jump between different jobs until he found his current job, a full-time position as a product docker at Erewhon market in Calabasas. He has also picked up a part time job as a sales associate at the retail store Box Lunch in the nearby Topanga Mall. With both jobs he is working approximately 65 hours a week and continues to help his family by paying half the rent on their apartment.
It is more common in Canoga Park to have neither received a college or high school degree. Sanjuan who earned a high school diploma believes he did so because he attended a school in another area, and not local Canoga Park Senior High.
“I went to Taft because I went to Canoga for the first week and I did not like it. I saw about four fights on my first day. Back in the day it was still controlled by the gang CPA (Canoga Park Alabama) so it was heavily influenced by them and there was still a lot of stuff going on there,” Sanjuan said. “I’ll be honest, I would have committed suicide or have gotten jumped to death.”
Like 64% of Canoga Park residents, Sanjuan is Hispanic, which he believes helps him feel more at home in the area. This contrasts with how he feels when entering a neighboring area that has a prominent white population.
“I feel comfortable,” Sanjuan answered. “You’re in an area where you know there is not that much racism, not that much racial profiling.”
Much like a little over half of the local population, Sanjuan lives in a Spanish speaking household. This is his main way he communicates to older family members such as his grandmother, and parents.
With the 2020 census drawing near, Sanjuan didn’t know it’s exactly its purpose was until recently. Now that he is more aware of what the census entails, he plans to participate.
“I think I’m going to fill it out this time,” Sanjuan said. “If the money goes to schools I think it is very important.”
The census will soon be reaching every household and will be the first time you can complete it online.
