Chapter 15: From Cuba to Texas: My Path to Becoming a Scholar

I am part of a family of emigrants from Cuba. My family immigrated to the United States from Havana, Cuba, in 1979, and we had little more than the clothes on our backs. Having lost almost all possessions to the communist dictatorship of Fidel Castro, we came to the United States and started over from scratch. As you may imagine, this required a great deal of hard work. We had no money and no college education, and we spoke no English. My parents always emphasized that education was very important because regardless of what problems you encounter in life, an education gives you options to move forward, so that became a focus.