Carlos Perez wanted his family to have a better life than what
he thought they could expect to have in Mexico; he wanted to bring
them to this country to give them a chance to succeed.
Carlos Perez wanted his family to have a better life than what he thought they could expect to have in Mexico; he wanted to bring them to this country to give them a chance to succeed.
He and wife, Yolanda, were born and raised in Mexico, and they decided, in 1986, to leave extended family behind and try to make a life for themselves in America.
“I had heard, since I was 6 or 7 years old, what a beautiful country it was, but I never thought I wanted to live here,” Carlos said. “But we have been happy here, made so many friends here, I believe we made a good decision.”
The political situation and the socio-economic situation in Mexico at the time gave Carlos and Yolanda the motivation to leave the country to build a new life for their family.
“It was bad then, it is bad now, and we felt it was going to continue to be bad,” Carlos said.
Fears for the safety of the family also drove them over the border.
“Four times I was robbed,” Carlos said. “Four times, robbery of my person. And then we had a burglar, Yolanda was there … We wanted a better life for our family. This was not the right life for our kids, we decided.”
The preparation for and actual journey to the United States was an adventure in itself. Carlos came first, armed with the name of an agricultural concern where he hoped to use his expertise.
He wanted to find work before bringing Yolanda and their two children into the country. The address of the business was Idaho. Carlos laughs now at his innocence when he asked someone at the border how to get to Idaho.
“He told me, ‘Oh, that’s far away, several states away,’ and seeing a sign for San Diego, I asked him, ‘How far is San Diego,’ and he tells me, 20 minutes; okay, I decided: San Diego it is.”
After working for three months, Carlos was able to bring his young family into the United States. With the help of a kind family, he was able to find work the very day he arrived in California, and he worked a variety of jobs over the years.
The family settled in Morgan Hill 14 years ago. Carlos and Yolanda say they are thankful for the friends who helped them in their early days in this country, the friends who helped them along the way and the friends they have made since then.
“We are so fortunate, we have so many wonderful friends,” Carlos said. “Our neighbors here in Morgan Hill, they are part of our family. My daughter’s friends, they are special to us, my customers, the people in the Morgan Hill community, it is a wonderful community to live in.”
Carlos and Yolanda’s dream of success for their family is gradually coming true.
“My parents have always told us that if you work hard, nothing is impossible,” said Alma Perez, the family’s oldest child at 22. “They taught us the value of perseverance. We see how hard they work, how strong they are, and we know that sometimes life is difficult, but if you work hard enough, you can make something of it.”
And Alma, herself, is a perfect example of that. Alma graduated from U.C. Berkeley in May, with a degree in political science and a minor in French. She is now working under a fellowship as a legislative aide in Sacramento. A Live Oak graduate, her passion for politics began at the high school as she became aware of issues and involved in school organizations.
“My struggle was, my fear was, that I would be accepted to a good school and not be able to pay for it,” she said.
Because she was not a citizen, she would have to pay out-of-state tuition.
“I cried with my mother so many times,” she said. “My dream was education, and I wasn’t sure I had the strength to keep fighting.”
But she found that strength, in her determination, in the support from her family and in her faith.
“I told her, ‘Let God decide,'” Yolanda said. “Knock on different doors, and one is bound to open.”
Alma still remembers the first tuition bill for Berkeley: $26,849. She worked two jobs while attending school and applied for every scholarship she could find.
Now the next member of the family is working toward a degree. Juan Perez, 20, is studying computer engineering at San Jose State.
He also is a Live Oak graduate and was an active member of the Emerald Regime, serving as a drum major.
Angelica Perez, 13, is in eighth grade at Martin Murphy Middle School.
“She’s a 4.0 student, yet she’s very active in campus activities,” Alma said of her sister.”
Angelica plays the flute and piccolo in the advance band and serves as the publicity officer for Martin Murphy’s Associated Student Body.
“My family is very caring, very supportive,” she said. “And they are also strong.”
The youngest Perez, Paula, 8, is in third grade at El Toro Elementary School. She said her favorite subjects in school are math and writing.
Clearly, education is a priority in the Perez household.
“It is very important. Sometimes people don’t realize how important education is,” Carlos said. “Families need to support their students, to get involved with their schools as much as possible, to get involved with the homework, to support their students however they can.”
Carlos, who became a U.S. citizen last July, is a tailor and owns a business, Royal Clothiers, which specializes in men’s formal wear and tuxedos, in Morgan Hill.
“When the (high school) seniors come in to rent a tux for the prom, often I ask them their future plans for education,” he said. “I tell them it is important for them to keep going, to keep studying, that high school is not the end.”
Growing up in Mexico City with two brothers and two sisters, he recognized the importance of an education. He graduated from college with a degree that is a combination of biology and agriculture and worked as a soil expert for the government forestry department for more than 11 years.
Now, after going through a variety of jobs, from landscaping to sales, he is content with his business and his second career as a tailor.
One thing all of his experiences have taught him, he said, is that there is no room for hate.
“It is so important for everyone in the community to see every ethnic group as brothers, sisters,” he said. “We are stronger when we are working together, helping each other. We need to learn about one another’s traditions and heritage and celebrate that … Life is much too short for hate.”
