Pursuing
a Better
Tomorrow
What would you give up today for a
better tomorrow? Many individuals
give up the only world they know to
give their families a better tomorrow; exchanging
family and friends for a lonely existence in a new
world. Many put themselves and their families in
harm’s way by embarking on treacherous trips;
risking their lives to escape situations in their
homelands that they perceive as much more
dangerous than the trip itself.
Blanca De La Rosa was born in the Dominican Republic. She grew up in the projects of the
upper west side of Manhattan in New York, during the time before the Hispanic population
developed the supportive Latino community which exists today. She graduated from Pace
University with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business Management and established a
successful 34-year career rising through the ranks of Mobil/ExxonMobil Oil Corporation. De
La Rosa retired from ExxonMobil after 34 years of service. She is also the author of Empower
Yourself for an Amazing Career, in which she shares career advice drawing from her own
successes.
Most immigrants pursue the basic needs
many of us take for granted: safety, food,
and shelter. They seek a better and safer life for
themselves andtheir families and to accomplish
what they would or could not attain in their
homeland.
For centuries, people from other nations have
been drawn to the U.S., the land of opportunity
where anything is possible. All of those groups
have contributed to the United States’ success and
diversity. For many years, the U.S. has been slowly
evolving into a multicultural and multireligious
nation.
Once in the U.S., immigrants opt to live in
communities with others from their native
countries or speak their native language, as they
adapt to the lifestyle, culture, and language. The
familiarity of custom offers a sense of security by
providing the services, manners, and the native
tongue of the old country while diminishing the
likelihood of stumbling linguistically and culturally.
In spite of a supportive community, the
adaptation process can still be arduous, as
immigrants must navigate educational challenges
along with the psychosocial consequences that
emerge as they struggle to learn a new language
and fit into a new community.
While discovering their new identity without
compromising the values of the old world,
immigrants continually balance the two worlds. As
they struggle to learn the new language and culture,
they delicately balance an English-speaking
life for conducting day-to-day business and the
native-language-speaking life of family and friends.
My grandfather left his village Orense, Spain,
at the age of 16, in the hopes of building a better
tomorrow for himself and his descendants. He
gave up the only world he knew for a lonely
existence in the New World.
My family’s origin started with a humble
background, and I’ve often wondered what my life
would have been like had we not immigrated to
the United States. When I visit this beautiful yet
impoverished island of the Dominican Republic and
see the need and want in the eyes of some of the
people, I think, “That could have been me.” So, I
feel incredibly blessed and grateful for everything
that I have been able to obtain and accomplish.
If someone had told me that my life would
unfold the way it has, full of untold blessings and
opportunities, I wouldn’t have believed them. A life
that I, as an immigrant
growing up in New York
City’s projects, could
not have imagined, even in my wildest
dreams.
I want to thank my publisher, Isabel Montes
of Angels Fortune Editorials, based in Barcelona,
Spain, for believing in me and publishing Pursuing
a Better Tomorrow and En busca de una mañana
mejor. Angels Fortune is much more than a
publisher, Isabel brings her authors into the Angel’s
Fortune family and mentors, inspires, coaches,
and befriends them with the sole purpose of
discovering literary talent and guiding them
through the path of publication. LS
About the Author
By Blanca De La Rosa
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58 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 25, No. 4, 2019
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