I was born in Lima, Peru, and I am the fifth of six kids. When I was only 5 years old, my family of eight immigrated to the state of Florida. Before moving, my dad had a really good job that supported us so well my mom didn’t have to work. He had a nice office and was very successful, but he soon realized that the opportunities for us in Peru were limited — and that’s why we immigrated. Once we arrived, my dad went from working in an office job to working as a custodian and then a painter. My mother worked as a cook for McDonald’s. Neither of them was able to attend college and had to find jobs that would take them with their limited education.

We lived in a two-bedroom apartment in Florida, and I didn’t speak a word of English. In my first day of kindergarten, I started panicking and crying because I didn't understand anything. I was enrolled in English as a second language classes until about 4th grade. Whenever we took tests, I had to go into another room with a bunch of other immigrants from Haiti and other countries. 

 When we moved to Utah eight years later, my parents were forced to declare bankruptcy. They couldn’t keep up with the mortgage payments, and they lost their house. Their credit died completely. It was a tough time for us, a really tough time. 

Through it all, my parents continually encouraged my siblings and me to keep going to school. I struggled a lot in high school, to the point that I was headed for truancy school. I really, really struggled with my grades. I eventually managed to graduate from high school but didn't think I would be able to go anywhere for college. My sister and mother pushed me to apply to Utah Valley University. UVU was close to my house, it was affordable, and it was open enrollment. I ended up applying and attending, but it wasn’t easy by any means. I had to work and struggle through all of my classes and for all of my grades. But without UVU, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to engage in that struggle. 

I graduated in the spring of 2019 from UVU with a bachelor’s in accounting. I know that no matter someone’s background, no matter the circumstances, anyone can succeed and graduate from college!