Picture this: two women from diverse backgrounds stand on the same road, separated by a median. Their worlds collide, olive skin and warm hues. Sondos and Andrea, two journeys, one generation, meet on the very ground we all call home: El Paso, Texas.
Generation Z is the punching bag of generations. In their lifetimes, they’ve faced countless unprecedented challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted their final high school years, shifted their perception of time and connection. They came of age navigating continuous political violence, fueling a newfound awareness and intentional drive for community engagement. Yet, despite currently being in a whirlpool of challenges from hiring freezes to housing crises, they continue to stand up resiliently after every single punch. As they embrace adulthood, they know their paths are unlike earlier generations.
Gen Z’s next challenge is embracing adulthood in the mix of all this chaos. Asking themselves those golden questions such as, what are they meant to do? Which path should they take? Love or career? Why are young women putting themselves, their, ambitions, and their futures first? Is it selfishness, or self-preservation?
Sondos Tarkhan
Reserved. Poised. Attentive. Sondos Tarkhan holds herself with quiet confidence. Not shying away from conflict or people but rather observing, learning and listening. She believes that whatever is meant for her will find its way there.
Like many young women her age, Sondos is choosing her career first. While she doesn’t rule out love, she’s in no rush to find it. Her focus is helping her community and building a life of purpose. Growing up with Middle Eastern immigrant parents, she quickly learned the value of education. Her father, a Palestinian man who left Jordan at 18 to pursue a medical degree in the U.S. but was only able to obtain his associates due to the cost of education. Her mother, in turn, emphasized the critical value of education for women.
“You don’t want to be stuck in a relationship only because you can’t support yourself. In case you ever want to leave, get your education.” Tarkhan stated.
Sondos chose to break away from the traditional path of early love and run in favor of her passion to build something for herself first.
She stressed the importance of maintaining her values as a woman who isn’t influenced or swayed into a relationship before being ready for that commitment.
Intentional love—the kind that is carried, surrendered and held.
Purpose lives within Sondos and many other Gen Z women who are learning to choose themselves first.
From crossing borders to confronting language barriers and a complex healthcare system, Sondos has witnessed the injustices that plague this region.
“If I weren’t living in EP, having the border, and seeing the dynamics, languages, and cultures, maybe I wouldn’t feel such an intense desire to help people.” Sondos said.
The everyday reality of life in El Paso mirrors the resilience of her people in Palestine, a struggle that has given her courage to speak her truth.
“Some people are afraid of saying ‘I’m Palestinian’ because of everything that’s going on, some people are afraid to speak out,” Sondos stated. “For me, I’m Palestinian. I’m proud to be one.”
The genocide in Palestine and the barriers at home have ignited a deep empathy within Sondos. Empathy, she believes, is born out of love. Sondos knows that her future career as a doctor and educator will make a significant impact on her two worlds. As she says, “When you help one Person, it’s like you save all of humanity.”
Her journey started with a home base and one intention.
Andrea Galeano
Energetic. Spirited. Full of life. These adjectives in human form embody Andrea Galeano, a young passionate Chicana from the borderlands. She’s unafraid of a challenge and unshaken by injustice. She knows that to rid the world of the weeds, one must pull them from the root.
The more she plants seeds, the more she takes up space.
From a young age, Andrea learned the value of being a “chingona.” The irony is in her blood; wit and grit flow through her veins. From this knowledge, she draws courage.
“The beginning of any Chicano journey is to educate yourself on our history, right? How can we figure out where we’re going if we don’t know all it took to get there?” Galeano said.
She has been privy to the struggles of working-class families, especially Mexican Americans. She’s found female role models within black and white pages seldom read, women who taught her how to lead and to advocate. When asked about love and career, Andrea referenced one of her heroes, Dolores Huerta, a prominent activist of the Chicano movement:
“There was always a controversy around her (Huerta) because she did so much for ‘la raza’ (but) did have 11 kids that she neglected. A lot of people thought that was horrible of her…I just fear that I would neglect these things that I value so much if I were to have kids.”
The tug-of-war of deciding between a career and romance left Andrea with a clear decision. Much like Sondos, she has chosen herself and her passions before romance.
“Part of being a woman is that we always feel like we have to give ourselves completely,” Galeano stated.
A fire born from injustice but kept alive by her love for the community, is the driving force of Andrea’s career ambitions.
She hopes to be a civil or human rights lawyer in the future, but more than that, she wants to make a tangible impact in her community. Her drive for a career in law stems from a desire, a need to stand up for those who cannot do it for themselves.
“I have the courage to fight for them, because a lot of them didn’t have the ability to fight for themselves,” Galeano said.
After the Collision
Two souls back-to-back, lit a spark of wisdom and action. As parallels cross each other’s paths; Sondos and Andrea grazed one another and combined their fire of societal love. It starts with one. One heart that vessels another. This coalescence of power, its intensity, flows like a wave, washing towards the younger generation.
