—Hi Silvia! I am happy to talk to you again. Traditionally, we start with self introductions, so please, proceed!

—My name is Silvia Roldan. I am from Ecuador. I came to the United States in 2014. I think everyone comes here for different reasons. In my case, I met my future husband, and I came on aK-1 Fiancée Visa to start a new life here. My husband is an American. The beginning of my life in the new country was extremely difficult. I thought it would be easy, but when I started looking for a job, I realized how hard it actually was. My expectations were high. I hoped that I would get a good, well-paid job. But then I realized that it is not easy for an immigrant to get their dream job. So I started working as a Spanish Tutor for kids and adults. Little by little I was moving towards the job that I have now, the job I really like. I currently work at a healthcare clinic as an Office Technician Floater. This position opened up another passion in my life which lies in the mental healthcare field. I also run a small business—an online headwear boutique called Yaku Wear. I founded it in 2017. All the hats I sell are handmade in Ecuador. I import them to the States, and sell them through my website https://www.yakuwear.com/

—So, basically, you have two different jobs: first one at the clinic, and the second one is at your boutique? 

—Yes, at the healthcare center I work at the front desk, but also in the medical records room. On top of that, I interpret for the psychiatrist and our clients. I have many duties to juggle during the day. It’s my full time job. Yaku Wear is my another job. Also, since 2017 I have been a volunteer and a participant of the group “I Belong Philly”. I am a very active person. I am always busy. I am ambitious.

—I bet you are! It takes quite an ambition to start a business. How did you come up with an idea of selling hats?

—In Ecuador I worked in tourism. I traveled a lot around my country of origin. I saw communities, and all the crafts Ecuadorian people make. And in one of my trips I learned about the hats. It was interesting to me. I started learning more about the whole process of creating a Panama hat. I found that, although these hats are called Panama hats, they are made in Ecuador, not in Panama. I came to the US in 2014, but when my husband and I traveled back to my home country in 2017 for vacation, I decided to show our hats to the world and tell a story behind every hat. Not only I wanted to sell the hats, I wanted to explain the hats, to explain a long process of their creation. It takes a very long time to make one hat. In some cases, it takes up to 9 months! The whole process belongs to the human heritage ofUNESCO [ UNESCO added the Ecuadorian toquilla straw hats to the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on December 5th, 2012]. That’s why I came up with the idea. I am very proud of it!

—Do you think a person has to be specifically “wired” to start a business, or anyone can do it?

—I believe anyone can start a business. But you have to believe in it, believe that it is going to work. If you focus on that, you can do it. There are many Americans who have full time jobs, but also run businesses. I think, as immigrants we don’t have the money to go to college or take courses, but we have ideas, we have business plans. When I attended the Business Training Program at the Welcoming Center, they helped me to create a business plan. Anyone can start that way and reach their goal—build a successful business. 

—Sounds uplifting! Is there any businessman or businesswoman that you look up to?

—I think I want to be as other immigrants who run their businesses. I want to be like them. I want to be a person who is successful at running her business. I want to be a person who is happy and content with their life. I don’t care if it’s a small or a big company. I want to be that kind of person. It doesn’t matter who that is...

—I see. Silvia, what are your passions in life? What makes you happy?

—Happy...[ thinks]. My family always makes me happy. Besides, I like to study. For example, now I am taking a course on Human Rights: The Rights of Refugees provided by theAmnesty International. I am learning about refugees. I want to be able to help my folks. I enjoy learning about human rights. I am excited to do that. I am very busy, but I like it.

—That’s great! What is your biggest life goal at the moment? 

—They say that all immigrants come here with dreams. I came to the US carrying a bag of dreams with me, and I am making them come true now. It’s not easy. We always face barriers, but we have to overcome them, we have to fight the obstacles on our ways. My story is a good example for immigrants. If I could start a successful business, you can do it too! My goal is to be a good example for other immigrants. 

—Can you give us one thought, a piece of wisdom or advice on immigration to the ones who have immigrated not that long ago or are planning to immigrate?

—We have to stay persistent. If you want something, focus on it. You can do it! Sometimes, we find excuses, saying: “I can’t do it, because I don’t have time!”. No, we have time! Simply do an effective time management. Always go for what you want! I don’t believe when people say: “ I can’t do it!”. No, you can! Organize your life, and you will do what you want. Sometimes we block ourselves with that noise. Let’s take a language barrier. I realize that I might have it forever, but it’s fine. 

—As long as you can convey your message to others, you are fine. Learning a language is a lifetime process. The most important is to be understood by people. Everyone has an accent here. It’s not a problem. It’s your national identity. 

—I think that an accent is an immigrant’s essence. If you have an accent, it’s beautiful. Some people try so hard to sound “American”. Don’t force yourself to get rid of your unique accent! Your accent is you, it’s your essence. It’s like your name. If you change your name, you are not you anymore. 

—Exactly! 

I would never change my name. My mom gave it to me. And I will have it for the rest of my life. 

—You know, it’s funny that you have mentioned the name changing. When I came here, I seriously considered changing my Ukrainian name “Olena” for the English variant of it—“Helen”. All because people struggled a lot with pronouncing it correctly. But my husband said: “ Do you really want to sound like a 90-year old lady?” It made me realize that Helen wouldn’t be Olena...I simply wanted to Americanize myself, and make people's  lives easier, so they would not break their tongues.

— It’s okay. Personally, I respect if someone wants to be called different, because they don’t like their name. I have Asian friends who got American names. But I always wondered why they did that? Your name can be longer, more challenging to pronounce, but don’t change it. Keep your name! My name is Silvia. If I change it to Michelle, I wouldn’t be me. You can call me Silvie, Silvia, Silvita, something like that. But don’t call me Michelle! I encourage people to always feel proud of their names. Your name is YOU!