Sofia Tittles-Lara, 18, swings gently in her hammock and gazes at blue sky.

At 12, Lara left her native Miami for Santa Cruz with her mom. Lara came to a town with crowded dust-swirled streets, no mall, no neon lights and no movie theater.

Lara's home is situated at the end of dirt road. Pigs and chickens are running free amongst the grass and shrubs. Her house, a two-story wood and stucco structure, is surrounded by a circular dirt driveway framed with orange and tangerine trees. Two trees support a couple of hammocks in the center of the lawn, and some stray dogs chase each other back and forth.

She talks about what she knows about Santa Cruz. Before moving there, Lara said she wasn't a very positive person.

"I've had to learn to make the best of Santa Cruz; things are different here but that doesn't mean it's bad -- change is good," said Lara.

--Debi Springer