A COMMON STORY
I am sure my personal story looks familiar to many foreign professionals. My parents were Colombians, but I was born in Venezuela. They went back to their country when I was ten months old and my sister was born one year later. In Colombia most of the schools were private. My father was sick and my family could not pay for my studies. For being the best student, I received a federal grant that helped me to finish my studies. The twelve years of my formal education were demanding from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm with time off for lunch. I started architecture, but I dropped out due to the difficult financial situation despite that I was honored with the exhibition of some of my jobs at the university.
MY PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL STRUGGLES
I moved to Venezuela, but months later my father died and my mother and sister had a financial hardship situation. Being Venezuelan allowed me to petition for my mother,
but not my sister who entered later. I helped to maintain my family because my sister did not work. My mother could only work in low-paying jobs because she was more than 35 years old. In some Latino countries, employers discriminates against anyone older than 35-40 years old, offering only low-paying jobs or never hiring anyone older that age especially a women. My mother was laid off and for some months I supported my family. Working and studying was hard and I was sleeping almost four hours daily. I felt depressed sometimes.
I started working in architecture since I was a student for prestigious architects. Through loans and credits, I graduated and also obtained a post-graduate degree in Hospitality Business Administration. I gained extensive experience with different type projects such as commercial, recreational, single and multi-family residential, institutional, and industrial that gave me the ability of working independently as a free-lancer but also as a team member for many companies. In 1994, seven banks went to bankruptcy, my mother and I lost our savings. Also, in 2001 we almost pre-paid a house when the company went out of business and the houses were occupied by other people. To add insult to injury, I did not receive the payments of some of my projects. In many Latino countries it Is costly to pay a lawyer upfront. Besides, in Venezuela free-lancers were not eligible to receive social security benefits. The country’s financial situation worsened every year and now Venezuela is suffering the worst economic crisis in its history.
MY VISITS AND LIFE IN THE U.S.
In order to have an extra income, I came to the U.S. twelve times to buy items and sell them in my country. I had applied for an entrance extension that I did not receive on time and In my last entrance, the Immigration Service cancelled my visa . Sadly it was in the Post Office in a ten months misplaced box and the USPS employee denied me a letter explaining the situation that would have allowed me to request another Visa. I suffered in the U.S. for not having a work permit. I managed to work without using a fake identity and counterfeit documents. I did not use them because I do not want to be on the other side of the law. With the IRS ITIN number, I worked in firm that struggle to find personnel especially women.
I studied in different colleges and I became a member of Phi Theta Kappa. I studied wide range courses to meet career goals. I am proficient in the use of different architecture and graphic software. With the internet knowledge I have I created websites. In my life I perform to reach high standards and I am proud of being Latina and be part of its rich culture. Like how drawings lay an idea on a blueprint, I too consider that through the language, the speaker’s ideas become exposed The results obtained afterwards are intertwined. In the U.S., due to the influence of Latinos from different origins, the language has suffered changes that have caused confusion. I think that if improper language were used, our culture would be vanished. For this reason I have volunteered and collaborated for different organizations as an English-Spanish translator .
In 2001, suffered two unrelated assaults and applied for the U Visa. Finally after a 12 years process, I received my US residence or "Green Card" although the process was a nightmare. Because of the Covid19 pandemic all my documents were expired and the process was delayed. I have been applying for different positions in architecture but it has been difficult because I have to overcome the obstacle of being a professional immigrant who graduated abroad. Many firms in the U.S. do not trust on us and it causes to work in jobs for which we are overqualified.
DISCRIMINATION SUFFERED
I am familiar with discrimination because I grew up in one country, moved to another and finally I emigrated to the U.S. When I moved to Venezuela, there were many undocumented Colombians and the Venezuela government did not want to accept them. When my father died, as a Venezuelan citizen, I had to travel to the border and petition my mother in the Venezuelan consulate. I suffered discrimination in Venezuela, due to my accent, and also in the U.S. I endured difficult situations. I have had the feeling of being out of place because each country has changed while I have been abroad. Furthermore, people who surround me do not understand the immigration problem. I speak English with accent, but I have a command of it. Sadly, I have been wasting my productive years and at the same time there is a brain drain in the U.S. that other countries are taking advantage of it.
Tired of the immigration contradictions, I sent a letter to President Barack Obama. I mentioned the difficulties that foreign high-skilled professionals encounter to change our legal status. Educated documented immigrants have also suffered the same struggles as the undocumented. In my letter I pointed out the different options for the U.S. to receive the benefits of the "brain waste" (under/unemployed qualified foreign professionals) incurred until today. The U.S. have forgone taxesand we are wasting productive years. I would like to invite educated immigrants in the U.S. to summon and join our efforts. By the coalition members’ signatures, we can take an immediate action to urge legislators to change the immigration policy concerning to professionals and high-skilled workers and also we could demand a change in the immigration policy concerning to us.
PERSONAL INTERESTS
I like to remain physically and intellectually active being a curious explorer, stimulated to leave the familiar, and take risks. I like to take on new challenges and for these reasons I enjoy traveling, appreciating different cultures, and learning languages. I am also committed to help people and be collaborative as my humble contribution to this world. I practiced swimming, I enjoy body toning, I am adept to walking, love aerobic step, spinning, and aerobic dance.
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