Jasmine Vega is a first-generation daughter of Mexican immigrants who own a small family restaurant north of Dallas. She began working there at the age of 13, learning the definition of hard work and perseverance before even attending high school. Throughout this time, she watched her mom work three jobs and dad work 70 hour weeks to keep their dream alive.

Because of this, Vega felt the need to help her family’s restaurant when it was on the brink of closure. She created a TikTok as a last-ditch attempt to save the business, hoping it would reach her local community. And much to her family’s surprise, the video resulted in millions of people from all across the world expressing their support and new customers visiting from all over the Dallas area. Vega continues to use TikTok to share the realities of owning a restaurant and grow the business her family has worked tirelessly for.

In addition to creating videos for her family’s restaurant, she is a 2nd year student at the University of Texas at Austin double majoring in Government and Race, Indigeneity, and Migration with minors in Italian and Rhetoric and Writing. She plans to attend law school and practice human rights law. Throughout her educational endeavors, she will continue to grow her family’s restaurant and help reach its fullest potential.

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