Meet Jose.
Jose immigrated to the United States from Columbia in 2001, with $80 in his pocket, no English, and a dream to make it in America. In Columbia, he received a degree for Mechanical Engineering, however this degree did not cross over to the U.S. He had always had a passion for tires and wanted to find a job that allowed him to apply what he had learned in Columbia. Finding a job in New Jersey, he struggled with finances and not speaking the native language, but her never lost his faith. He said, “God sent me Angels all the time. God was always there. God didn’t tell me exactly what I wanted, but through people God told me what I needed.”
When he first came to the U.S., Jose left his family in Columbia, sending what he could to them until he became legal and brought them over 1 1/2 years later. He often had to work two jobs to make ends meet, but never lost his motivation to succeed. He eventually was led to Grand Rapids by an opportunity at a tire plant, applying what he learned as a mechanical engineer in Columbia. Jose spoke of his children and the drive to teach them the skills necessary to succeed. He said, “I remember my own father, when I was young, would teach me this foundation. In my position, I could bring my kids to work and show them what it looks like to work hard… whatever you want in life, you have to work for it.” Jose eventually became the Plant Manager and is blessed to have one of his sons working with him. Jose had a lot to say about treating everyone fairly and at the same level due to everyone coming from different backgrounds. He said, “In my life, I have never tried to be manager of anything, but I have ended up being manager. My principal is making sure to treat everyone at the same level. People won’t stick around for the money, but they will stick around and succeed if you treat them right.”
Recently, she brought a homeless person struggling with alcoholism into her home with the intent of giving him a second chance at life. She said, “I have three miles I walk in life. I love hard. I work hard. And I play hard. That’s it. But love is number one. You have to love what you do and the people around. Just like this homeless person… I knew I needed to help this person and show him the resources available to him.” When asked about her husband who recently suffered from a second stroke, she broke into tears wishing she could do more for him. She even sold her own home to pay her children’s school loans so they can start off fresh. Her love and drive to help others is contagious. Cancer does not define her. Her love for work, and love for others is who she is.