Watch: Click on the above image to see the interview.
Paulina’s Biography
“My name is Paulina, I’m a mother of two currently living in Minnesota. I was born in Quito, Ecuador on December 31st 1985. Universidad Católica de Cuenca (Catholic University of Cuenca), Ecuador is the university I attended, where I studied for five years to get my degree as lawyer of the courts and tribunals of the Republic of Ecuador. I was then chosen to work voluntarily in the court of justice and realized the struggles people face with the law. I then went on to work with the best lawyers in the city, which allowed me to learn a lot from them. From there I made the choice of opening my own office; with a lot of hard work and dedication I was able to do it. After a year had passed I received an invitation from a friend who was in New York, to come work with her during the summer and make money a little faster. At the time I was preparing to become a judge, but I needed a Masters degree that at a starting price was $10,000 and I did not have that. I thought it over a lot and talked to my daughter and she couldn’t help but tell me to go. I had finished my case work before I left and left my daughter with my mother. It was 8 months of hard work, I worked multiple jobs and on my bus rides from one to another I contemplated school and visualized my daughter attending there, and with all my heart I desired to give my daughter an education here in the United States.”
“When I returned to Ecuador after 8 months, within the first week robbers came into my small office and they took everything. I tried to look for a form of work to continue forward. At the same time my now husband who was a US citizen asked for my hand in marriage, I said yes. From there my life took a turn, I would have to take my daughter with me to the US, take her away from everything she has known her whole life, with that I’d also be leaving my dreams to be a judge. What I have faced since then both with my daughter, my own US experience, and with my husband’s health to sum up in a few words is “We will fight and we will win.”
“Now my husband is working in New York, he is alive and well. I applied to work at a cleaning company, and I passed my interview. I will continue to learn English, as I want to help the Indigenous and Latin American communities as I was helped by others. Recently, I bought my daughter’s prom dress, and next month we will be celebrating her graduation. I will continue to live on to serve, and be thankful for this country for receiving me, and for all the angels that put me on my path.”
Paulina’s Photos
Q&A from Adela Rivera
Resource Guide to Latin-American Resources and Communities In The Twin Cities
“CLUES is Minnesota’s largest Latino-led nonprofit organization, founded in 1981 by and for Latinos to provide culturally and linguistically relevant services. Our mission is to advance social and economic equity and wellbeing for Latinos by building upon our strengths and cultures, uplifting our community, and enabling leadership for systemic change.”
