Carrying on the dream

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

As Sarasota’s Alejandro Peralta strolled through Johns Hopkins University in March, he knew it was the next step along a path where “every decision, every calculated step,” had led him.

The path began before he was born.

That trail began because of the sacrifices made by his parents, Carlos Peralta and Johanna Jacome, who immigrated from Ecuador.

Because of the hardships his family experienced along the way, Alejandro Peralta wants to make the most of every opportunity.

Carlos Peralta immigrated from Ecuador to the U.S. at 19 years old in 2000. Throughout his life, he had seen college graduates in Ecuador who were underemployed, such as taxi drivers who held doctoral degrees.

“There are private schools that are very good, expensive too, but in the end, you’ve got your degree in a place that you can’t use it most of the time,” Carlos Peralta said about education in Ecuador.

While living in Worcester, Massachusetts, Carlos Peralta met and married Johanna, who was on vacation from Ecuador. Not long afterward, Alejandro Peralta was born.

The couple was filled with dreams, but as undocumented immigrants, the way forward was not easy.

“Every time when we went to work, or to take Alejandro to school, we were risking everything,” Carlos Peralta said.

“We always believed in the American dream,” Carlos Peralta said. “We knew that millions of people did it already before us, so why not us? We knew if we did the right thing, pay- ing our taxes, living out of trouble, we had a lot of chances to eventually get our citizenship, and that is what happened.”

Carlos Peralta became a citizen in 2017 and Jacome in 2018.

Today, Carlos Peralta works on heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems for Bay to Bay Test and Balance. He is currently working on systems at NASA.

Jacome is a metrology engineer for Omnia Scientific.

A PLAN YEARS IN THE MAKING

From a young age, Alejandro Peralta felt a deep drive to help others as well as a passion for anatomy and the brain.

By fifth grade, he memorized the bones of the body and was working out a pathway to medical school.

“I found out that just researching the brain isn’t enough,” he said.

“I wanted to contribute to society. I wanted to contribute to the betterment of human health, so that’s why neurosurgery was such an attractive option to me. I was lucky to find out so young, so I could be focused on one dream.”

There have been many early mornings and late nights involved, but he has been rewarded by the Father Connie Dougherty Memorial Scholarship Fund and with a merit-based scholarship from Johns Hopkins University. He graduated from Sarasota High School seventh in his class in May.

Alejandro Peralta said he took every advanced course available, participating in the School of Excellence in Math, Science, and Technology and Advanced International Certificate of Education programs. Currently, he is working with tutors on college-level courses.

His goal is to double major in neuroscience and molecular and cellular biology with a minor in medical Spanish. Behind his goals, he said, is a sense of gratitude and responsibility regarding the educational opportunities his life, along with his parents’ decision to immigrate to the U.S.

“I always have the reminder that if (my parents) were able to get this far, having to work three times as hard as everyone else, I know that in my position, being born here and having those opportunities right here for the picking, I have no excuse to not reach my goals and even go beyond that as a physician,” he said.

Carlos Peralta said the education his children are receiving in the U.S. is “the most important gift you can give to your kids.”

Alejandro Peralta's acceptance to Johns Hopkins University is a dream come true for everyone in the family.

“That was what we’ve been looking for, what we’ve worked for,” Jacome said. “Every moment that we’ve spent talking to them, always telling them how it’s important to work hard for your dreams, I (can see it happening) right now.”

Due to his goal to increase the accessibility of healthcare everywhere, Alejandro Peralta plans to practice neurosurgery in Ecuador and the U.S.

“The American dream really exists,” Carlos Peralta said. “If you work hard, with honesty, eventually the dream becomes a reality.”

ALL IN THE FAMILY Peralta wanted to avoid placing financial responsibility for additional educational opportunities on his parents.

In 2017, Alejandro Peralta, alongside his now 13-year-old brother, Santhiago Peralta, founded a home care business, BrosSK.

As a result, Alejandro Peralta has paid for tutoring, SAT classes, tennis lessons and United States Tennis Association tournaments.

His business also is rewarding due to the time spent with his siblings. Every afternoon, the siblings do their homework together, with one teaching the other.

They’ve also inspired one another; Mia Peralta, who is 9, and Santhiago Peralta both intend to become neurosurgeons as well.

“It’s like a superpower — just with your hands, you can save people’s lives,” said Santhiago Peralta. “I want to do that with my brother and sister.”