Weyauwega teen pays tribute to cousins killed in crash

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

1 2 minutes read

WEYAUWEGA, Wis. (WBAY) – A Weyauwega teenager is hoping to make a difference in the lives of those looking to enter the United States legally. His four cousins were killed by a suspected drunk driver while driving the wrong way on Highway 10 in Waupaca County last December.

For the Gonzalez family, it was unthinkable. An accident that occurred just days before Christmas last year, at the hands of a suspected drunk driver in Waupaca County, ended the lives of Daniel, Fabian, Lilian and Daniela. Adding to the trauma was the family's desire to bring the remaining brother, Jorge, to Weyauwega, whose VISA application to attend the funeral had been refused.

The family's pressure on elected officials to act was unsuccessful. Their cousin, Emily Munoz-Gonzalez, was a Waupaca high school senior with promising grades and a desire to attend an Ivy League school. His goal is to become an immigration lawyer, driven in part by Jorge's refusal to be allowed to travel to the United States.

“It was just difficult. It was very difficult,” Munoz-Gonzalez said. “I was making an application every day, or two a day, which was extremely difficult, and I feel like I'm worried because I'm rushing these applications, I don't know if they're going to accept me with such hasty requests. I didn't even check some of them twice.

Weeks later, Munoz-Gonzalez was receiving responses, but waiting to open all the letters at once, doing so on a Zoom call, with two other cousins, all wearing T-shirts honoring those who died.

“Before he opened one of the letters, he said 'this is for good luck,' and he said it like that,” Munoz-Gonzalez said, pointing. “And then we opened all the letters, and it was really lucky.”

Instead of being accepted to an Ivy League school, she was accepted to three schools: Yale, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania. She is also on the waitlist for Princeton and Cornell, but Yale, she said, is the best fit because of its law program.

Her mother, Sylvia, couldn't be more proud, considering what her daughter has overcome.

“It was really hard, and it still is, and maybe forever will be, but we're kind of the kind of people who honor them by doing our best, and I think Emily doing her best to get to this great university, it’s also an achievement for them, to honor them for the efforts they made when they were here,” Sylvia said.

Originally from a small town in Wisconsin, Munoz-Gonzalez hopes to motivate others in rural areas to seek similar opportunities, especially minorities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“I want this to remind you that you can do this,” Munoz-Gonzalez said. “It doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn't matter if you don't have enough resources or don't feel capable of doing it, because you are. No matter how disadvantaged you are, you can do this and I hope this truly serves as an example.

Munoz-Gonzalez has strong faith. She believes her cousins are with her and she will work hard to honor their memory and make her family proud as she heads to Yale.

“They certainly are, and I'm very happy with their support because I know they always have my back wherever they are,” Munoz-Gonzalez said. “I miss them but am very grateful to still feel their presence during these difficult times.”

The man charged in this drunk driving crash, Scott Farmer, 48, of Neenah, is being held in the Waupaca County Jail. His next court appearance will be June 28. Meanwhile, the family celebrated the birthday of the deceased youngest sister, Daniella, on Monday evening. She would have been ten years old. Action 2 News has learned it was a very emotional experience.