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Samantha Reyes is a girl who was born in Venezuela, and she is currently 15 years old. In December 2019, she began a journey which would change her life. Due to difficult circumstances in Venezuela, she had to emigrate with her mother to Peru. For her, it was a moment with many mixed feelings, since it was a new country, with different cultures and customs. However, the idea of having a better quality of life and learning new things was exciting at the time.

For Samantha, living in Peru had an impact on her life since they managed to do many things that they would not have been able to do in Venezuela. Her mother and she managed to open a Venezuelan food restaurant; it was like a dream come true. 

Before reaching that dream of opening the restaurant, they first went through many stages, really in their lives they never thought about opening a restaurant, first the pandemic started and there was no work so they needed to find a way to cover their needs, so they started on a corner selling Venezuelan breads and face masks, they spent 4 months doing that, then they were given the opportunity to gather and buy a food cart and sell pastelitos and tequenos, Samantha, at 12 years old, got up with her mother every day at 5 in the morning to sell with her and support her, then at noon she went to study and when she came home from studying at 6 in the afternoon she started producing for the next day. Her mother started giving her an allowance for her support, Samantha decided to start saving and bought her own food cart and began to expand the small business, so she had her own business and so did her mother. They began to grow as a business, they had more clients, people asked about them and even asked when they were going to sell more things. Samantha and her mother realized that it was time to open their restaurant to sell more things than just pastelitos and tequenos, so they got on the adventure of opening the restaurant and selling their food carts. Months of investment preparation, but finally they opened the restaurant. Her mother was in charge of production and cooking, and Samantha was in charge of making the sauces, being a waitress and cashier.

Samantha says that her favorite part was undoubtedly seeing how much they had managed to grow. They started with a food cart and now had a whole restaurant, and that the customers were happy and satisfied with all their efforts.

However, the situation in the country began to decline, and they had to make the difficult decision to emigrate again. And here begins a new journey in August 2021, they began the conquest to reach the United States; this trip lasted approximately three months. Three months of agony, hopelessness, and desperation. 

On that trip, they crossed nine countries to reach the United States. On that long trip, they went through difficult situations. Along the way, they faced hunger, thirst, and exhaustion. They met bad people as well as good people, and they even thought that they were not going to be able to finish the trip. They thought many times about giving up and turning back, but the dream of achieving many dreams and persisting made them move forward. They always thought about the great opportunities they had ahead of them. But through their determination, they pushed forward, fueled by the promise of a better tomorrow. That was what made them continue to reach the finish line. Once they crossed the border, their hearts were pounding, and they had a big mixture of fear and excitement.

By November 2021, they arrived in the United States. While they  had successfully crossed the border, she soon realized that her journey was far from over. Adjusting to a new life in a new country presented many challenges. They needed to adjust to a new a foreign culture, learn a new language, and adapt to unfamiliar customs. They approached these obstacles with the same determination that had propelled them across the border. They  enrolled in English classes, determined to master the language to take advantage of  the opportunities this country has to offer. Through perseverance and hard work, they slowly began to integrate into American society without forgetting their culture and who they are. 

For example they had to change the way they greeted people, in Venezuela the way to greet someone was a kiss on the cheek and a hug and here in the U.S there was a huge difference since they see the kiss on the cheek and hug as a weird way to say hi.  Also, they have had the support of many people they have met along the way, who would even risk their lives to help them.

Samantha has been in the United States for 3 years now, 4 different grades.

In the first year, Samantha managed to obtain a math and orchestra recognition, which was something new for her. She arrived in the middle of the school year, a different language in which she did not understand anything; a lot of frustration and tiredness, and even so she decided not to give up because she was determined to succeed and she always had in mind everything that she went through. Also she was inspired to live her dream life. the life that she believes she and her mom always deserve, that her mom does not live with concerns anymore.Therefore, Samantha decided to continue and persue her goals.

In the second year, at a new school, the language was still quite difficult for her, and eeven though she managed to obtain an honor roll certificate with a lot of effort and dedication.

In the third year, she obtained the certificate of good grades again, even with difficulties and frustrations she continued working toward her goals.

In the fourth year, she managed to obtain the certificate of good grades, and she will continue doing so. She is in the medical academy, and she plans to do dual enrollment. She says that she will continue doing so and that this is only the beginning of many achievements, many more things to achieve and do, but she is achieving her goal.

As the years passed, their perseverance began to show fruit. They all have jobs, sometimes full time, sometimes part time, but they have always provided for their needs; they have never gone to bed without eating some arepas or cachapas. Even though they have been successful,  they can never forget the sacrifices that had brought them to this point. They remain deeply connected to their roots, preserving their cultural heritage and instilling it in their future generation. They always speak about not losing pride in their identity. For them, the American dream was not just about personal success, it was about building a better future for the generations to come. They will always encourage their children to pursue their dreams with the same tenacity that had guided their own journey.