“I moved to the United States from Colombia with my mother and younger brother about eight years ago when my mother was offered an opportunity to manage a travel agency. I had to re-relearn the language. I knew a little British English, but that was entirely different. It was like starting over.
My first year in school here, I attended ninth grade at Hopkins Middle School. They had an ESL [English as Second Language] program. Then we moved to Coon Rapids and there was no ESL program. Gradually—about three years ago, I stopped translating from Spanish to English in my head, and it gets better every year.
My mother and younger brother became American citizens when my mother married an American. |
Jose Luis Lozano
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I am working on becoming a citizen. Many people don’t know how long it takes. First you have to become a resident. Before you become a resident you have to have a green card which allows you to work in the country. Since 9/11, the process is taking even longer because of the extensive screening process. I’m about three-quarters of the way through the process. Near the end, I’ll take the famous 100 question test and do the final interview with an immigration officer. Finally, I go to the swearing-in ceremony. When my mother did it [the ceremony after she married a United States citizen], over 100 nations were represented.
I consider myself an American, but I stay close to my heritage. My family and I celebrate Colombian Independence Day [July 20]. The Colombian Community get together for food and music---celebrating. I’m going to marry an American in June and we know our kids will be bi-lingual. Language is so important. I know kids who can’t communicate with there grandparents. My mother sends my younger brother back to Colombia every summer to keep him in touch with the culture and language.
In the United States, whether you are born here or not, there are many opportunities. I enjoy going to my job at the bank everyday. It’s like family. And Katy [Jose’s finance] and I own our own home. We started saving in high school and I knew mortgage companies through the bank. My mother and I also own a business, Alfha International Services—a travel agency and money transfer business. We work mostly with other Latinos who need to connect with there home, traveling or sending money back.
But it isn’t all about money. My mother brought me up to focus on respect, to say please and thank you. She told me you have to respect everyone, from the janitor to the president, to run a successful business. Out of respect, I would like to help break the stereotypes of Hispanic Colombians. I don’t want people assume we are all Mexican or Puerto Rican. There are more than 16 Hispanic countries, and each has their own culture and different words and slang. I would like people to see me as an individual, not necessarily an immigrant.”
Jose Luis Lozano, Anoka-Ramsey Community College Senior, Bank Employee, Business Owner
Jose Luis Lozano has attended Anoka-Ramsey Community College since Fall 2003, the same year he and his mother opened a travel agency and money transfer business. While a junior in high school, he took an internship at Marquette Bank through a high school association called Business Professional of America (BPA). He continued when the Marquette Bank chain was bought by Wells Fargo, and later took a position at a start-up bank called First Advantage. Lozano has risen through the ranks to become a Customer Service Representative. When he graduates from ARCC in May, he plans to transfer to a four-year college to complete a degree in finance.
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