Gainesville ISD confirmed 11-year-old Jocelynn Rojo Carranza was bullied over her parent’s immigration status.
GAINESVILLE, Texas — A new mural in Fort Worth was painted to honor the life of 11-year-old Jocelynn Rojo Carranza, the Gainesville girl who died after an attempted suicide in February.
Her family told WFAA she was bullied in school about her parent’s immigration status. Following her suicide, Gainesville ISD confirmed bullying did take place.
Students in Fort Worth involved in the nonprofits My Brother’s Keeper and My Sister’s Keeper had an idea: They wanted to dedicate a mural in Carranza’s memory.
The students, along with Fort Worth artist Juan Velazquez and Dallas Artist Armando Aguirre spent a sunny Monday painting the mural.
The mural is located outside of Hugo’s 5 De Mayo Bar & Grill along Main Street in the Northside neighborhood.
“The only way we can maybe prevent some of it from happening again is by not forgetting,” Velazquez said. “I think they wanted to send a message about being kind.”
TCU Senior Monica Rojas, a mentor with My Sister’s Keeper, said honoring the young girl was important to the high school students she serves.
“Hearing about it was very sad, but I think it goes to show what impact these situations can have,” Rojas said.
The issue of immigration is personal to the students involved in the mural project, Rojas told WFAA. Shortly after Carranza’s death, a Fort Worth ISD substitute teacher made an alleged post on X, where he urged Immigration and Customs Enforcement to visit North Side High School.
That’s when the students decided to do something.
“The mural is a way to shed light on her story,” Rojas said.
As they painted, vendors and mental health professionals were on-site to support the community. Aguirre hoped that by gathering students and artists on Monday, students who may be concerned about the issue of immigration would know they have someone to talk to.
“It is powerful,” Aguirre said about the mural. “I want it to be something beautiful.”
The colorful mural is filled with flowers. It shows a smiling Carranza with a sparkle in her eyes.
It’s how the artists want the girl who loved to dance and play with her siblings to be remembered.
“This mural has a sad story to it, but we didn’t want to portray that in a sad way,” Velazquez said. “We wanted to celebrate her life in a way that came across more colorful through her personality.”
Carranza’s family was unable to attend the mural’s dedication on Monday, but a family member told WFAA the family hopes to visit the mural in person soon.
