Making her american dream a reality

January 2019

Maria Gonzalez was 20 years old and enrolled in her fifth semester at medical school when she chose to illegally cross the Mexico-United States border for love. Gonzalez was born and raised in Morelia, Mexico, where she saw a bright future ahead for herself. She had been dating her boyfriend at the time, Raul Gonzalez, long distance for two years when he asked her to marry him and move to America. She was hesitant because moving to a new country would change her life’s path and put her life-long dream of becoming a doctor at risk. Eventually she decided to marry Raul and crossed the border illegally to live with him in southern California, where he had lived with his family since he was 14 years old. 

Raul Gonzalez hired a coyote, a person who smuggles people through the Mexico-United States border, to help her get across and she was the only woman in a group of eight male strangers. The group waited in Tijuana, Mexico for dusk to fall so they could begin the long journey ahead. Once it was dark, they walked hours in an overgrown field until they reached the border where they had to crawl under a fence, then continue walking a few more hours, all while hiding from border patrol. A car picked them up and took them to a house in San Diego, Calif. where Raul picked her up and drove her to their new home in Santa Barbara, Calif. That night she promised herself she would never go back to Mexico until she was able to legally. 

She describes the first three months in America as “depressing.”

“I didn’t have family or friends, I didn’t speak English, I didn’t have a driver’s license, and I was undocumented,” said Gonzalez. 

She chose to enroll herself in the English as a Second Language program at Santa Barbara City College which led to her joining the Nurse Assisting program one year later, also at the city college. Soon she made friends, was able to speak some English, and worked as a housekeeper, babysitter, and nurse assistant, which helped her immerse herself in the new culture. Another year later, Maria and Raul Gonzalez welcome their first and only child, Yoseline, who is currently attending graduate school in Madrid, Spain. 

Ten years ago Maria had the opportunity to go back to school and decided to study cosmetology to become a hairstylist. Working full time and attending school was a challenge but she says it was the best decision in her life. Getting her cosmetology license didn’t just provide her with a job that she loves, but gave her the opportunity to reach her financial goals. She’s been able to provide for her family, send her daughter to the University of Redlands, invest in real estate for retirement, and recently buy their first house. 

It’s been 25 years since she illegally crossed the border and 15 of them have been spent as a legal U.S. citizen, which was a ten year long process. She was no longer able to become a doctor but she became a wife, a mother, and a hairstylist, which she is so grateful for.

“I believe that I have reached the American Dream,” said Gonzalez.