June was a big month for Los Angeles teen Pilar Diaz Bombino — she became a U.S. citizen on the 8th, and the next day delivered a celebratory commencement address honoring the Class of 2021.
Bombino, 18, immigrated to the United States from Cuba in 2006 with her mom, Nancy, and brother Daniel. They first moved to Florida, but settled in L.A.'s Watts neighborhood in 2014, where Nancy became a certified nurse assistant. Bombino told the Los Angeles Times that while she got good grades, she wasn't thinking about college when she started high school — but her mom got her motivated. "She told me it's very important to stay focused and do it," she said. "So I don't have to struggle in life the way she did."
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