For Maryland couple, Jessica Rivera-Zelaya and Hector Zelaya, education has always played a pivotal role in their lives.

Although Jessica currently teaches Spanish for PreK-8 graders in a private school in Maryland, her professional path began with a bachelor’s degree in international business.

While working at the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in the early 2000s in Washington, D.C. – and pursuing her college degree full-time – Jessica got promoted to run the Philadelphia center of the LULAC National Educational Service Centers, Inc., (LNESC) in Pennsylvania. Jessica told Los Cafetales that as the center’s director, her job focused on helping “first-generation students understand that they too had the opportunity to pursue a four-year post-secondary education.”

Jessica said that her background helped her engage with students, as she had also been a first-generation college student.

“When I was offered the position at LNESC, I was scared because my undergraduate degree” was not in education, she said.

Jessica put her fears aside, however, because having gone through the college application process as a young Latina herself, she understood “how much parents needed information” about financial aid and other college matters.

As noted by the Pew Research Center on Oct. 7, among Latinos who do not have a bachelor’s degree and are not enrolled in school, about 71% say that that is due in part because they need to work to help support their families; still, Hispanic enrollment at post-secondary institutions in the United States has increased from 1.5 million in 2000 to 3.8 million in 2019.

Jessica noted that she fell in love with the job “because I was able to work with families and inner-city kids,” some of whom had never ventured out of Philly. “It was an opportunity to help open these kids’ minds,” as well as their parents’ minds, about the opportunities that exist at four-year universities.

As part of the center’s work, Jessica said, she and her staff would take students to visit various campuses, and to even take classes at such institutions as the University of Pennsylvania.

While she enjoyed her job, Jessica noted that she and Hector left Philadelphia for good soon after their daughter was born so that they could be closer to family in Maryland.

Jessica said that her experience in Philadelphia – as well as in Maryland schools, most recently at an elementary school, where she was able to co-teach remotely for various classes during the COVID-19 pandemic – helped encourage her to pursue a master’s degree in education, which she obtained last May.

Noting her decision to begin working as a Spanish teacher in 2021, Jessica said that while she was nervous to begin teaching full-time, she was also excited to start a new career and to continue to help students as an educator. Having a good support system also helped in taking that professional step, she said.

That support system included her daughter and her husband, Hector, with whom she recently started a new business, Sol Remodeling and Maintenance Service, LLC.

“It’s all about taking those opportunities that you’re given and running with it,” Jessica said, noting that Hector was able to, for instance, take courses on home remodeling while working at his current job at Maryland-based Guerrero Plumbing, LLC.

Education has been a key factor in Hector’s life as well, including by taking English-language courses when he moved to the United States from El Salvador in his early 20s. In fact, one of the biggest obstacles that he had to overcome at that time, Hector told Los Cafetales, was the language barrier.

“You literally have to point, for instance, to get people to understand what you’re saying,” he said. “Sometimes, people will try to understand you, even if you mispronounce a word, but others, unfortunately, don’t make the effort.”

Apart from taking classes, Hector said that he also learned English by speaking with family members.

Over the years, he learned about the plumbing industry by working at a local company with his cousin, Milton Guerrero, Sr., with whom Hector still works – now at Guerrero Plumbing, which is owned by Milton and his wife, Gigi Guerrero.

Hector noted that when he began his plumbing career, one of the more challenging aspects involved identifying the various components of such household items as kitchen faucets. He added, “You have to know the various faucet types, the differences among them, and which parts make up each faucet, as well as be able to explain all of this to the customer.”

While he enjoys plumbing, Hector also loves home remodeling, so he was excited to be able to take courses to learn more about that industry while working at Guerrero Plumbing.

Hector, who is now licensed in home remodeling, said that he and Jessica decided to start their own business because “it is important to challenge yourself and to do everything possible to help your family succeed.”

Jessica added, “If it’s something that you’ve always dreamt about,” it is important to follow through to reach one’s goals, regardless of any obstacles that get in the way.

Editor’s note: Information on “College Scholarships for Latin American Students” can be found on study.com. Also, Montgomery College in Maryland offers Building Trades Technology Degrees and Certificates, as well as Small Business and Entrepreneurship courses.

Image courtesy of Sol Remodeling and Maintenance Service, LLC