I Am An Immigrant
Ivania Maricela Rivera
ThankYouAmerica!
Community College of Aurora
CONTRIBUTORS Ivania Maricela Rivera | Author Nalleli Sanchez | Interviewer
Sharona Grinsteiner | ThankYouAmerica! Coordinator Geoffrey Hunt | ThankYouAmerica! Faculty Advisor Bobby Pace | ThankYouAmerica! Project Director Ana Romero | Graphic Designer
I Am An Immigrant
Ivania Maricela Rivera
ThankYouAmerica!
Community College of Aurora
My name is Ivania Maricela Rivera. I was born in El Salvador, in a small town away from the capital, in 1973. I grew up with my grandparents, because my mom was a single mother and had to work at the capitol. However, I was able to see my mother once a week. I lived a very happy life with my grandparents and my aunts. I was filled with love. My family would take me to go cut coffee beans. It was a lot of hard work. Through this, I learned that I had to work hard to get a career. During this time, El Salvador was in a civil war. I remember the fear and worry everyone felt. When we were playing or doing our daily activities, we would hear shooting and have to run. I lived in constant fear. In that fear, I always dreamed of helping people.
Civil war – a war between different groups inside a country
In 1986, when I was 11 years old, I met my father, who lived in the United States. My mother had never told me that my stepfather wasn’t my real dad. She sent me to Chicago, Illinois, to live with my real father so I would be safe from the war in El Salvador. At first, I was very sad, lonely, and angry. I felt like my mother didn’t like me. However, I came to realize that it was a good opportunity for me to have a better life and learn a new language. My new dad had a wife from Puerto Rico. This was hard for me because I didn’t know that there were people from other places. I had to start over with a new family. What motivated me was thinking that if I came here I would help my family financially. I also wanted a future. I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to go back to my country and help them with my profession. I also wanted to open a group home for people who didn’t have a home, because I grew up with my grandparents, separated from my mother. I wanted to help those who felt the way I had.
I arrived in the United States in 1986, sad because I had left my family and friends. I was also scared in a new country with a new family and not knowing any English. I went to school. Everything was strange to me—the food, the places I went—and there were not a lot of Salvadorans, so I couldn’t interact. However, language was the hardest thing for me—not only English but even Spanish, because the other people learning English spoke a different kind of Spanish. In El Salvador, I had attended school for half a day, from 7 a.m. to noon, and we wore uniforms. Here we had to go all day, and there was a different method of teaching and different ways of doing math. The group of other students learning English became
my group of friends. There was a lot of support from the teachers and within the group. We had a teacher who would give us a piece of candy every time we learned a new English word. Other kids laughed at me because I didn’t speak English, so I was scared that I would say something wrong. I thought no one liked me. However, I successfully learned English. In high school, I joined groups that helped other immigrant students. I was an honor student. I wanted to go to college, but I couldn’t because I didn’t have money, support, or information. I didn’t know that there were scholarships. As a result, I started to work at a very young age to help my family still back in El Salvador.
Scholarship – money to help pay for someone to go to school
I finished high school and got married at the age of 17, to a wonderful Mexican man. We have now been married for 27 years and have five children. But in 2006, I was diagnosed with cancer while I was pregnant with my fifth child. I had to have my baby three months early. In 2007, we came to Colorado when we lost our house in California because our medical bills were too high. The cancer grew. I had to have an operation, then I got an infection in the operating room, which caused tumors to develop in my brain. This experience made me want to help others who were in the same situation I was in, because my family and church and neighbors were the only people to help and support me. I was inspired to help others. I wanted to help them through beauty. I helped them by making them feel beautiful. I provided wigs, eyelashes, and makeup. I developed a foundation called Almas Guerreras Contra el Cancer to help patients and families overcome hardships. Foundation – an organization, not part of a government, that supports some activity
Since I couldn’t be a doctor, I sought to help people through cosmetology by increasing their self-esteem. I have owned three beauty salons. While I am doing people’s hair I love listening to their life stories. I am like a counselor. I sold all of my salons to people who were disadvantaged, because I wanted to help them come a step closer to their dreams. I am currently helping a Muslim lady with her dreams; she was afraid that, because of her appearance, she would start her business and people wouldn’t come. My ability to help people is what makes me a successful business owner. I want my kids and my community to see that nothing can stop you.
Cosmetology – knowing how to make people look and feel more beautiful Disadvantaged – not having things needed to be equal in life Self-esteem – how a person feels about herself or himself
I am also a pastor, and I have my own nonprofit in the Aurora Welcome National Center. In addition, I am a part of a Salvadoran organization. I am going to be helping young people, and anyone who needs help. I tell people about the resources that are available in the community to help them. When people are scared to go to court, I go with them. Beyond that, my family and I help children in need. There was a family that had four children. The mother was in and out of jail, and the father was gone. We housed them for three years, and I was like a mother to them. I am very happy to be in the United States. I am happy that I can help people. We are all important and special, it doesn’t matter where we come from. When you work hard, you will achieve your dreams regardless of how many obstacles stand in your way. Anything is possible!
Nonprofit – an organization that isn’t set up to make money Pastor – a leader in a Protestant church
EL SALVADOR
EL SALVADOR
El Salvador is a small Central American nation on the coast of the Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras. It is known for its ocean beaches, surfing spots, and mountainous landscape. The country’s population is approximately 6.38 million, consisting largely of Mestizos of European and Indigenous American descent. Although it is the most densely populated country in Central America, El Salvador is also the smallest, covering an area of about 21,040 square kilometers. El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. It is divided into 14 sections, called departments. It has 25 volcanoes, 14 lakes, and three large cities—divided into east, central, and west—with the capital, San Salvador in the central region; Santa Ana is in the west, and San Miguel is the in the east.
ABOUT THANKYOUAMERICA! ThankYouAmerica! is a CCA student-driven civic engagement group. Our mission is to develop community events and a digital media campaign to showcase the integration and inclusion of immigrants into the heart and life of the city of Aurora while celebrating their diversity. The campaign highlights America’s tradition of embracing immigration, recognizing its contribution to the prosperity of our country. ThankYouAmerica! aspires to be the vehicle of hope and inspiration to a society that champions the successful integration of all people while valuing and preserving ethnic expression. ABOUT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF AURORA (CCA) The Community College of Aurora (CCA) provides high quality instruction and student support services to Aurora and eastern Denver, Colorado. The college offers courses on two campuses and online courses for degree or certificate completion. CCA students engage in programs that help them realize their potential by preparing them for transfer to a four-year institution and employment. For more information, visit us at www.ccaurora.edu. Potential Realized.
The I Am An Immigrant book series was developed by the ThankYouAmerica! campaign. The purpose of these books is to showcase the personal stories of immigrants to the United States, and to highlight their successful integration. It is our hope that these books will be a source of hope and inspiration to every child who reads them as they learn about the challenges immigrants face, and their successful journeys to citizenship.
I Am An Immigrant - Stories in these series: Nu Tran Grinsteiner Max Edja Jeanette Virginia Rodriguez Ivania Maricela Rivera