Latin American History Commons^™

Carlos Ortega, Carlos Ortega

Coming to the Plains Oral Histories/ Llenando las Llanuras Historias Orales

Carlos Ortega was born in Chihuahua, Mexico. His family moved to the United States in 2001. Ortega initially struggled in school because of his difficulties with English. With the support of a dedicated teacher and through immersion, Ortega eventually became fluent in English. Both in school and in the community, Ortega has faced much racial discrimination, including physical assaults. Ortega wishes to become a teacher to teach tolerance to young students and to help both adult and young Hispanic immigrants learn English.

Carlos Ortega nació en Chihuahua, México. En 2001 su familia se mudó a los Estados Unidos. Ortega inicialmente …

Gladys Godínez, Gladys Godínez

Coming to the Plains Oral Histories/ Llenando las Llanuras Historias Orales

Gladys Godínez was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala. In 1989 the Guatemalan Civil War and the desire to be together as a family drove the Godínez family to immigrate to the United States. Godínez lived in Inglewood, CA when she first immigrated to the USA. Godínez attended school and learned English. The large Latino population of Inglewood blunted the cultural shock. As part of the early wave of Latino immigrants to Lexington, NE, Godínez and her family faced cultural shock, language challenges, and discrimination. Godínez graduated from UNK with a degree in political science. Godínez currently runs her own non-profit …