TOPPENISH -- Deisy Magaña works weekends -- up to 12 hours a day both Saturday and Sunday -- at a ranch in Buena.

Like most teens, she uses some of her paycheck to buy clothes.

Unlike most teens, she also pays rent and other household bills. And, when she can, she sends money to Mexico to support her family.

In order to pursue her education, the 18-year-old has lived apart from her parents for four years. Now she's poised to graduate from Toppenish High School, and will become the first in her family to graduate from high school.

"She's a really hard worker, and a wonderful role model," said 32-year Manuela "Nelly" Guzman, a counselor at Toppenish High School. "Her grades are great."

But getting here has been a struggle.

Magaña, who turns 19 at the end of the month, was born in Los Angeles. She lived there with her family until she was 5 years old. Then, her parents decided to return to Michoacán, Mexico, so Magaña and her siblings could grow up with the rest of their family -- grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunts -- nearby.

Magaña's parents grew mango and pepper trees -- a job they still do. But Magaña wanted more. She wanted an education and financial stability.

Education in Mexico is free and compulsory for children through age 15. Magaña, the oldest of five, wanted to keep studying and someday go to college. But her parents couldn't afford to pay for high school. So in 2004, when she was 15, she decided to return to the United States in search of a better life and more opportunities.

"I cried when I hugged my mom (goodbye)," Magaña said in Spanish. "At the beginning, I felt really bad. I wanted to go back when I arrived here."

Magaña traveled with her dad's cousins to North Carolina. Two weeks later, an aunt paid Magaña's way to Washington state. The teen has been working since she moved here. While she said she knows her life has been difficult, she also said it has helped her take things more seriously: "It's kind of hard when you don't have help."

But Magaña isn't alone. She lives with her 25-year-old uncle, Israel Arreola, in a small apartment in Toppenish. Like Magaña, he works in the fields, picking produce, thinning fruit and pruning trees. She makes $8.10 an hour and sometimes works weekdays, too, to make ends meet.

Rent is $450 a month. Though she and her uncle split the house bills, such as rent, water and electricity, Magaña has her own bills to pay, like car payments and car insurance. She also buys her own clothes and food.

On top of that, she sends money to her parents whenever they ask.

"It's not a lot, but it helps them," she said.

And she maintains high grades. Magaña is an "A" student. She passed the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, or WASL, retaking it three times to do so. English is her second language, and she is working to improve her English skills.

"Sometimes, it's hard to express myself," said Magaña, who wants to go to college, become a computer programmer, and be able to afford a house and a nice car.

She also wants to continue to help her family as well as the small town in Michoacán where she used to live. Someday, she wants to return to live there.

Her best friend, 17-year-old Lizbeth Garcia, a senior at Toppenish High School, said Magaña is more mature than most teens.

"She is mature in all the aspects because she knows how to confront her problems," Garcia said.

"I think more about the consequences that can happen on the decisions I make," Magaña said.

When asked what keeps her going, she simply replied, "Mi familia." My family.

Magaña hasn't seem them in a long time. The last time she visited her parents in Michoacán was two years ago. She said she misses them a lot and is hoping to see them in December.

Meantime, she's holding tight to her dreams.