On February 17, 1947, a little girl named Sonia was born in the small town of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico. Born third out of ten children, out of only which five survived, she looked exactly like her mother with the can-do-it attitude of her father. Sonia came from a religious, hard-working, and loving family, but they were not wealthy by any means and placed more value on working hard to make money to support the family than school. But she was not to be discouraged – even as a small child, Sonia had big dreams.
Every day she would wake up, dress herself, and run to school, always eager to learn and never discouraged even when tasked with the care of her younger siblings. While never unhappy, she always dreamed of a better life for herself. On occasion, planes would fly over her house, and Sonia would chase them, running freely in countryside that was her backyard, yelling – “Llevame a Nueva York!” (Take me to New York!)
Yet as her siblings dropped out of school, got married, and had children, Sonia found herself balancing the responsibilities of schoolwork, housework, and child care. Eventually, her mother had to work in order to support the growing family, and needed her daughter to quit school to be more present at home. Disheartened, Sonia returned her books and never finished the seventh grade, but she was not one to give up easily.
At fifteen, she took a job working in a shoe factory and found herself working side by side with her father. Her passion for school never faded, and Sonia took a test and was promoted to the 9th grade. During the day she worked to bring money to her family and during the night she attended school to benefit herself. In time, a perfect opportunity arose. Her father had made the decision to relocate the family to the mainland United States hoping to find a better life there. In October of 1966, at the age of 19, Sonia found herself in the place of her dreams – New York.
There are many people who find themselves in a similar situation as Sonia –thrown suddenly into a large, anonymous city where no one speaks your language and everyone has someplace to be or someone to meet. Sonia was like a stray puzzle piece, and she needed to find out where she belonged. The main challenge was the language barrier, which she tackled head-first. Not only did she attend language classes, also she spoke English to anyone who was willing to listen. She immersed herself completely in her new world, listening to the radio, watching TV, reading and listening to music in English only. Soon, Sonia and her father paid for tickets to bring the rest of the family over to New York. At the same time, Sonia was earning her GED.
Even as a young lady struggling in a big city, Sonia was always enchanted by New York. She made the rest of her life here – marrying, having children, and eventually being the first person in her family to go to college. She has mastered the blending of Puerto Rican and American culture – she eats rice and beans but also cheeseburgers and fries, she speaks two languages, she watches Jeopardy! but also telenovelas. Sonia is my grandmother, and the efforts she made to succeed in this country has benefitted not only herself but also her family. She recently turned 67 years old, but she is still the same dedicated little girl who never stopped working towards a brighter tomorrow.
