Mayra Smith Research Paper

Mayra Smith, formerly Luz Ortíz Moreno, was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1966 to German Ortíz Crespo and Ada Moreno Torres. After her father became sick in 1975 and could no longer work, the family began to sell food out of their house in order to survive. Shortly after, her mother decided to go back to college at age 35 to become a registered nurse. Despite some financial trouble, Mayra’s childhood was wonderful, filled with beautifully warm and sunny days spent exploring with friends. School was easy for Mayra and is similar to the education system in the United States. Mayra spent time studying various subjects, learning some English that could be utilized when talking to tourists who came in from the port. Although Puerto Ricans celebrates most of the same holidays as the U.S. does, Mayra’s favorite Puerto Rican holiday was Three Kings Day, which was celebrated on January 6th and full of toys and surprises. The Ortiz-Moreno family went to church every Sunday, …show more content…
Seeing that Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, she did not have to apply for any visas to come and study. Mayra explained that the ease in which Puerto Ricans have when coming into the U.S. can also construct a division between various Latino groups. Although she learned some English in Puerto Rico, Mayra rarely used it and did not have the vocabulary needed to successfully speak and write in English. Although Mayra was doing well in school, she began to feel more and more homesick. Struggling to balance school work while trying to adapt to American culture, after a visit from her dad Mayra decided to move back to Puerto Rico for the summer and then tried school again in the fall. Shortly after her parents followed and began living in Grand Rapids while depending on Mayra to provide financial