Maritza was born in Baitoa, a small country site town, in the Dominican Republic; where she grew up

Maritza was born in Baitoa, a small country site town, in the Dominican Republic; where she grew up with her grandmother and her four siblings. When she was a young child, her parents left the Dominican Republic to go to the United States to find work and to support the family, eventually bringing Maritza and her siblings to the United States.After graduating from high school, Maritza arrived at the age of 17. She moved in with her parents who were living in Providence in a neighborhood with a large Dominican community.“The first year, we were really excited to learn about the culture and people of the United States.”Maritza was able to learn English, American history and other skills that lead her to further her education in America. After successfully completing her General Education Diploma (GED), she earned an Associates degree in Social Work from the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI). CCRI provided some of the best memories Maritza has in the United States, because they were instrumental in supporting her to further her education. She went on to be one of the founding members of the Latin American Student club at CCRI.She also earned as a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Rhode Island College (RIC) and a Masters degree in Psychology from Cambridge College in Boston; all while working full time and raising two children. One of the biggest challenges Maritza reflects on was learning to speak English and acclimating to the American fast pace and highly structured way of life.“The language was the most difficult because you get frustrated learning to pronounce the different blends and sounds and its difficult to communicate your wants and needs. The American routine is hard to get used to because on the island you don’t have that kind of routine or schedule. You mostly do things without planning and maybe the weather is a factor that helps, but language was the hardest thing to overcome.”Not only was the language hard to learn, but getting used to being discriminated against was also something Maritza had to adjust to.“It’s hard to get use to hearing people making comments about you when they think you can’t hear them… It was painful to be treated different just because I had an accent and am a Latino woman of color. Everyone experiences this kind of discrimination differently and I think that education is the key to help people accept one another.” What made Maritza feel welcome was passing her citizenship test after completing her degree from CCRI at the age of 25. She describes it as being a good accomplishment and it being something that makes you feel part of the United States.In 1990, Maritza began working at the Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) as a social worker. Currently she works as the Coordinator of Community Relations for DHS where she ensures that Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals have access to language services and an interpreter when needed.Maritza is passionate about helping others and has dedicated her career to doing so. She is keen on making sure that there is no discrimination within the community and letting people know someone is there for them. She always wants to help the immigrants so their transition is smooth and so they do not have to struggle when they get here.“To have a place in the community is important and having a feeling that you belong is important. What I want people to know about is even though we are immigrants, we come here looking for a life where we can work and raise a family. We aren’t here to harm anyone; we just want to be accepted by the community.”With a strong value of education instilled in her by her parents and grandmother, Maritza is proud that her two children are currently in college pursuing their degrees.“Education has always been a big part of my life. Even though my grandma never had an education, she made sure we did and that is how I raised my kids. That is how they will get far.”According to Maritza, being from a Caribbean island automatically instills a sense of family closeness in you. That was what Maritza was most surprised about when she came to the United States.“We have a saying back home, “Mi casa es su casa”meaning my house is your house. We don’t need to know when people are coming or how much food to cook, you come over you will be able to eat. Everyone is able to eat when you show up and everyone stays. The culture here is different in that most activities are scheduled.”While she misses the tropical Caribbean climate, she does enjoy the snow until it has to be shoveled. Maritza now resides in Cranston, Rhode Island where she lives with her husband and two children. “This is the only place I have lived in the United States, I like the city, the ocean and the summer here.” Written and compiled by Eriksson Goncalves and Rachel Ugolik -- source link

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