Sucess Stories

Learning Leads to Opportunities in a New Century

by Umberto Sanchez
Dayton Campus in Liberty

Hello! My name is Umberto Sanchez. I was born in 1953, in Zacatecas, Mexico. I came to the United States in 1989, by myself. I was thirty-six years old, alone on a big bus leaving my family. I was going to a strange country, and I was very scared. I didn’t know anything about this country.

When I arrived in Houston, Texas my brother and his son were waiting for me at the bus station. They were happy and I was too. I did not know the town, but they took me to their apartment about seven miles away, and we lived together for six years. After that, I moved to Dayton, Texas.

In Dayton, Texas, I began working at Sam’s Distribution Center, and I realized that other people could not understand me because I spoke a different language. That’s why I thought that I have to learn English and I began studying in the ESL class. I am learning to speak, write, and read English better and better and people at my place of work understand me better too. I want to thank Ms. Pam Watson for teaching me so much.

The most important thing is to never give up. I am very happy to live in America. My family and I have many opportunities. I am thankful that my children will have better living conditions than I had. My life has changed very much since I began to live in the United States, that’s why I thank God every day for the opportunity that he gave me to live in this country.