Mexican Immigrant to U.S.

"America is a willingness of the heart."

Armando Ramirez immigrated to the United States with his parents, Roberto and Isabel in 1959, when he was six years old. Armando, now 41, is married to Jennifer Ramirez. Devout Catholics, the Ramirez' have four children: Armando, Jr. (20), Jesse (17), Richard (12), and Erik (9). The Ramirez' live in Orlando, Florida, where Armando is the personnel director for a local cable provider. Mrs. Ramirez is a full-time homemaker. Armando, Jr., will be a junior at Florida State University in the fall where he is studying marine biology. Jesse will graduate high school in June and she has plans to attend the University of Miami in the fall. Richard and Erik attend the local junior high and elementary school respectively. Mr. Ramirez is a graduate of Florida State University, class of 1982.

Originally from Mexico City, Mexico, the Ramirez' moved to Florida because Roberto's brother had found success for himself and his family in the citrus industry in Florida. Roberto, too, became employed as a picker in the citrus industry and managed to provide a living for himself and his family of eight. The Ramirez' also moved from Mexico City to Florida because they felt U.S. education was better than the education available in Mexico and they wanted their children to know a better lifestyle than they would be able to achieve in Mexico City. Isabel took odd jobs to help sup

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, dress, and lifestyles than our neighbors and friends, my father understood how important it was that we not only excelled but that we always did everything just a little bit better than the next person. One day I cam home from school depressed. My father immediately sensed this and asked me what was wrong. I told him that though I felt I played as well as any of the other boys at baseball tryouts, I didn't make the cut for the team. I told him I felt because I was different they didn't want me on the team. He said to me �Armando, you are a Mexican. You live in America. Because of that, you don't just have to play as well as everyone else, you have to play a little bit better.' At the time I didn't realize the full meaning of those words, but, even today I sometimes feel that his advice is still valid." When I asked him what impact technology and corporate change in America has had on his family, Armando told me the impact has been quite significant. He told me about innovations in technology that helped his father as a citrus picker. Formerly, his father used to come home at the end of the day exhausted, and often bruised and cut from a long day of picking. Once the company he worked for added new equipment and techn

Category: Economics - M