by Saraí Jiménez

Juan Rodriguez was born February 24th 1978 in a small village near the City of Tela on the east coast of Honduras. Where he lived, families would grow fruits and vegetables around their homes and harvest them. Juan’s first job was taking care of the crops, and as most other children in the village, he started school when he was 8. He also took care of his siblings from a young age when his mother and older siblings were away at work for most of the day.

Juan described his life as one of poverty and necessity, commenting, “Poverty was my best friend and my worst enemy.” He saw education as a way to improve his life. After 6th grade his dad brought Juan to Middletown, New York, where he had been living. His father worked in a steel company, and his step mother worked at a nursing home. Many Honduran women immigrants that Juan knew worked in elder care and many men worked with ships, steel, and construction.

The transition was hard for Juan. Back in Honduras a whole family lived on a block so he was used to being around people all the time, but in New York he found himself alone at home a lot. The change in weather was also very drastic because he went from enjoying warm tropical weather, to experiencing below freezing temperature for the first time. When he started school in 7th grade, he was still in the process of learning Spanish because he grew up speaking a language called Garifuna. He focused more on learning English because most of his classes were in English and he took ESL classes. He learned most of his English over the summer playing with the neighborhood kids.

After a short year in community college, Juan decided to join the Marines, because he realized he did not know what he wanted to study or do with his education. His time in the Marines took him to Atlanta, Virginia, San Diego, Japan and Korea. In the Marines they emphasized teamwork which he liked, except when the whole barrack had to pay for the mistakes of his fellow peers who did not appropriately clean their barracks. While in the Marines he met his future wife who lived in Southern California. After his service was over he drove trucks for a couple of months, which he really enjoyed. He saw “a lot of things on the road,” which he declined to comment on in detail, but from his laugh it’s not hard to guess that they were on the wilder side.

When Juan and his wife decided they wanted to settle down in California, he started applying to jobs. The first one that he heard from was the post office. Since starting his job in 2003, Juan has been promoted 4 times, which he is very proud of. His day-to-day responsibilities include investigating the quality of service and working with all of the supervisors.

With his wife he has 3 beautiful daughters and a very cute son. He enjoys going on trips with his family, running, cooking, and barbecuing. He wants a better life for his children and is motivated to set high standards for them through his accomplishments in his work.

When asked about his motivation to persevere during moments of difficulty in his life, Juan said that it has always been his roots.

I could let my past hold me down, I could let it pretty much tie my hands, but I try to use it as more of a positive force…I have what I have because of where I come from, because I always remember where I come from.