Gideon and Lina Ramirez are college-educated, employed parents of three kids. They’re also living on food stamps.
“We’re a happy family of five,” says Lina. She works part-time from home as a graphics designer while Gideon is in his last year at Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia.
“He’s training to be an emergency room doctor,” says Lina proudly. “If anyone can do it, it’s him. He’s probably the most calm and cool-headed person on the planet.”
The pair met by chance while living in California. “We just kind of bumped into each other in the neighborhood,” says Lina.
The two began spending more time together, until life intervened and they had to part ways. However, not long after, Gideon got into Brigham Young, and they found themselves back in the same state again rekindling their romance. Soon they were married, and shortly after that, their first daughter, Eugenia, was born.
[rebelmouse-image 19397783 dam="1" original_size="700x543" caption="Photo via Hannah Busing/Unsplash." expand=1]Photo via Hannah Busing/Unsplash.
“When my first one came, I could still do full-time,” says Lina. “I was living in Utah with family, and my mother and father were kind enough to really help out.”
But then their son, Sebastian, was born around the same time that Gideon got into medical school, and their situation became exponentially more difficult.
Gideon was offered a spot at Thomas Jefferson University, so the family relocated. “When we moved to Philadelphia, I didn’t have any friends or family there,” says Lina. “It was a lot harder to find childcare for two, so I decided to work part-time from home.”
But with two kids, a part-time job, and a husband in medical school, Lina’s life began to get hectic.
Gideon’s full schedule of classes, training, and studying made it impossible for him to maintain a job. Lina found herself caring for two children and trying to support her family on a part-time salary. Time was short and money was tight. “If I had a way to clone myself, then we would have been fine,” she jokes. “But I just didn’t have enough hours in a day.”
Lina with her baby daughter. Photo via Lina Ramirez.
After their third child, Margot, was born, the Ramirezes were forced to admit that they needed help.
Lina realized that she wasn’t going to be able to raise their three children, maintain their household, and sustain five people financially. So the family applied for food assistance.
At first, Lina was hesitant. “I was afraid of what people might think. I was afraid of what I would think [of] myself,” she says. “I was just kind of embarrassed.”
Eventually, she realized that food assistance was a perfectly respectable solution — and the best way to allow Gideon to finish medical school on schedule and go back to working full-time. “Gideon was like, ‘you know, we really can’t do it on our own,’” says Lina. “And it was only for a little bit, because he’s almost done with school. So that’s when we decided.”
They applied to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and their case was approved and they were granted a food assistance card.
[rebelmouse-image 19397785 dam="1" original_size="256x160" caption="Photo via Wikimedia." expand=1]Photo via Wikimedia.
Now, Lina has time to raise her kids as best she can — which includes cooking with the groceries she buys with her SNAP benefits.
“Margot and I go grocery shopping once a week,” Lina says. “I have so many bags because I make everything from scratch.” Her cooking includes a combination of her native Hispanic food and her husband’s Hawaiian fare. SNAP benefits allow her to purchase whole foods and ingredients.
“Being on these food stamps gives me the time to be able to know what I’m feeding my children.”
It also helps her be a better mom for her kids. “It’s really brought balance to the house,” Lina says. “They need me! They’re so little, they’re my priority. I still work part-time and try to squeeze in my adult life while they’re sleeping. But it’s less stressful.”
Lina’s no longer embarrassed about using food stamps — and she is adamant that no one else should be either.
[rebelmouse-image 19397786 dam="1" original_size="541x250" caption="Photo via SNAP." expand=1]Photo via SNAP.
“When you meet with your caseworker, they realize that you’re in need. They’re not judging you,” she says.
Lina knows that there’s still a stigma associated with people who use food stamps, but it doesn’t concern her. “They’re not on there because they’re lazy. They’re on there because they’re in need.”
Food stamps allow Lina to care for her children while Gideon finishes his education. The program isn’t holding them back — it’s helping them get ahead.
Gideon is almost done with medical school, and the family will move again when he gets his hospital assignment in March. Lina’s biggest challenge is no longer struggling to feed her kids — it’s helping them get ready for the future. Right now she’s working on explaining their upcoming move to Eugenia, who will be starting kindergarten next fall.
"I say to her, 'Honey, there’s a chance that we might not be here [in Philadelphia], but you’ll get to meet new friends and go somewhere new,'" says Lina. “And she’s just like, ‘Okay, in that case I wanna move to Disney World!’”
Though Eugenia’s plans might be a little overly optimistic, the Ramirezes are undeniably looking forward to a bright, independent future.
“I think everyone who goes onto the food stamp program is hoping for their situation to change, and is working toward that,” says Lina. “We just need a little bit of help to get us past that challenge.”
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."