- [Narrator] Everything bad is temporary.
We just can't give up because
we're going through a tough time.
If is just being determined enough
to keep taking those steps forward.
(elated music)
My car is a 1949 Hudson Brougham.
She is powered by a 454 big block,
it is two toned, red on red, I also have
patterns on the candy,
and gold and silver pinstriping and leafing.
The interior, I kept it pretty much original.
I drew it out myself.
It's a two tone black and red.
It's actually a Mercedes carpet kit.
The dash is also painted candy red with flake,
and is also patterned and pinpinstriped
to match the exterior.
I also kept the dash all original.
So that the gages and everything works.
The wheels are 13 inch Zeniths
and I'm rolling on 520 spring and sport weights
The hydraulics are aircraft Pescos.
My favorite part about my car is the grill.
She's a low rider, she cruses low and slow.
I just like that mean look, you know.
I didn't put too many accessories on the car,
because sometimes less is more.
I have the visor, which is an accessory,
the grill guards, and I have the spot lights,
and I have venetian blinds in the back window.
When I was building the car I had 4 linked
and c-notched so it would lay down to the floor.
When I'm cruising down the street I want the car
to look like it's floating.
The car was sitting in the yard in San Ysidro.
A friend of mine bought the car off of the gentleman
that owned the yard,
and then my boyfriend purchased it from our friend.
Then we started working on the car.
Unfortunately, my boyfriend passed away
and he didn't get very far with the restoration.
Then I took over, and I restored the car
to where it's at today.
I actually named her Christine,
after the John Carpenter movie,
because my boyfriend passed away,
our friend that purchased the car from
the older gentleman passed away,
and then the older gentleman passed away.
That's why I felt that that name was fitting for the car,
because in the movie the car kills off it's owners.
I joke around and I tell people
"I think she just doesn't like men"
I'm a female, I've had her for 26 years and I'm still here.
When we got together I already had my son,
when I got with him he took me to my first low rider show.
When he took me to the show and seeing the cultural aspect,
and I was like "Oh wow. This is it. This is me."
What attracted me about it was that you look at the cars
and then they are all very unique, in their own way.
Look at the murals, in some people have their loved ones
that have passed away, Chicano history.
It's not just the love of cars but also the love of culture.
There's no rules.
You could do whatever you feel because your car
is an extension of you.
I thank him a lot for him coming into my life
and introducing me to that aspect.
There was no turning back, I just loved it.
I just loved it.
I was always into cars, ever since I was a little girl.
I played with Hot Wheels, Tonka's.
I played in the dirt with cars.
When I was born, my Dad took my Mom to Los Angeles
so that I could be born in the United States.
My Mom lived in Tijuana and my Dad worked in
Los Angeles.
As soon as I was born went back to Tijuana.
That's how I ended up living the first seven years
of my life.
My Mom had this huge porch in the front of her house
and to the right there was a mechanics shop.
Then to the left there was a body shop.
So I would just sit there and watch the guys
work on the cars.
My parents owned what is called a vecindad
what that is a property that has several houses on it.
So my Mom would take care of the houses and charge the rent
and my Dad worked in Los Angeles as a baker.
That is all he did his whole life.
He would come to visit my Mom every two weeks.
I have a sister that's three years older than me.
She got to stay to live with my Mom because
she was born in Tijuana.
I went to school, kindergarten and first year and I was
about to go into second grade when my aunt talked
to my parents and convinced them to send me to live
with her so that I could go to school
in the United States, because I was born here.
All I remember is that they told me "Oh you're going to go
live with your Tia."
That's all they told me.
They didn't tell me oh we're deciding this so you can get
a better education or no nothing like that.
They bought me a little suitcase
and I packed up my suitcase and I was sent to live
with my Tia.
My Tia, she wasn't a very affectionate lady.
All I remember is crying,
crying and going off to live with my aunt.
Growing up I had a lot of feeling of abandonment.
I grew up with a lot of those feelings and a little,
some resentment because I was shipped off.
Why was I chosen to be shipped off?
I lost a large part of my history though
because I don't have any, like I don't have any of the
photographs of when I was a kid.
I was always wonder why can't I just stay.
You know, why can't I just stay.
When I turned 18, on my actual 18th birthday,
I come in and my aunt tells me "Your 18 now.
You're an adult get your things and get out."
I was like oh what.
Alright.
I grabbed a trashbag threw what little belongings I had
and walked out.
I was what they call couch surfing.
Things happen but then blessings come along,
and people extend their hand to you.
I was fortunate enough that the parent of a friend of
mine told me "No you have a home here. Stay here with us."
When you're homeless your not thinking about doing homework
so I dropped out of high school my senior year.
I always knew I wanted to go back.
I was actually on the streets for about a year.
When I was on the streets that's when I met
the biological father of my son.
There was moments where I didn't see a light,
you know but my personality is very determined.
When I got pregnant with my son that's really what
made a turning point for me.
I knew then 'Oh you have to.'
I wanted to provide a better life for him.
When my son was two months old that's when I went
back to school.
That's when I got into the auto shop
and I learned about cars.
My professor he loved me.
He got me an interview with the Navy base
in Coronado to become a mechanic.
They offered me the job.
So I had to think and make a decision do I wanna
go to work or do I want to go on and get an education.
I chose to go to collage.
What I actually do for a living is investigate child abuse.
What I feel like I do is stand up
and defend people that can't defend themselves.
These children they can't stand up to the grown ups
that are hurting them.
Actually when I was in school what I would do is I would
see somebody who was getting picked on
I'd stand up to the bully and they would back away.
Then I would look for the next person that I would see
getting bullied and I'd do the same thing all over again.
That part of my personality and then all these experiences
that I had growing up helped me to relate to the families.
The most challenging part of my job is the hurt that I see.
I see how cruel people can be to one another.
There's been times where I have almost been very close
to loosing faith in humanity.
Then there's somebody always comes along and shows me
that there's good people still out there.
It's natural to internalize
all those things that you're seeing.
That's why I think the low riding, the cruising my car
is so therapeutic for me.
I feel very fortunate that I have this passion for cars,
this passion for low riding.
It really takes me away.
I'm a civil servant.
I love what I do.
I will continue to whatever I can to help others.
You know, that's just in my nature to want to help.
I feel everybody has a responsibility to children
or anyone that can't stand up for themselves.
Anybody that needs help the best thing you can do,
do something.
My name is Marissa Rosales.
I'm a social worker and I'm a low rider roll model.