Mateo

I’m going to be a dad!

As Mateo* held his 6-month old daughter Sabrina, he remembered the exact moment his wife Marisa told him they were going to have a baby. He was happy and scared at the same time. So much has happened since then and life was looking up.

Six years ago, Mateo began working with a residential construction company as a helper. He was really interested in the air conditioning units and soon qualified to be an apprentice installing the equipment. Good at his job, he looked forward to the day when he might be able to run his own crew.

Mateo met Marisa two years later and fell in love. They were married and looking forward to starting a family. Mateo shared his dream of becoming a supervisor with the foreman at work, but was told that his limited English would prohibit him from ever being able to manage a job on his own. He was afraid to tell Marisa because he promised they would be able to start saving money to begin their new family.

On her own, Marisa recognized that Mateo’s lack of English skills would hold him back at work and encouraged him to enroll in MAM’s ESL program. It took a year to finally convince him and Mateo reluctantly enrolled in a Level One Class. He quit after the second class.

Then last year, Marissa broke the news that they were expecting their first child. After the surprise wore off, Mateo realized that his child would speak English and he might never be able to read a book or help with homework. He was convinced his child would not respect him.

Mateo re-enrolled in evening ESL classes at MAM and worked hard. He asked his family and co-workers to speak to him only in English to practice outside of class.

Today, he is the proud father of beautiful Sabrina. He is already reading fairy tales to her. He recently managed his first job and was promoted to Site Supervisor. Life is looking up for Mateo and his family!

Please consider making a year-end gift to help MAM continue to provide valuable life-changing programs.

*names have been changed and a stock photo used for the privacy of the family.