Telling the Immigration Story of Mayra Aldas-Deckert

Immigrant ARC is proud of its commitment to telling the stories of immigrant New Yorkers, and there is no better place to start than within. Mayra Aldas-Deckert, I-ARC’s Senior Project Specialist, kindly answered a few brief questions about her journey as a New York immigrant.

Question: Describe your background, including where you’re from, your family, and how old you were when you came to the United States.

Answer: I was born and raised in Ecuador in the city of Ambato - 2 hours south of the capital in the Andes region of the country. Some members of our family and I moved to NY in May 2005. I was 21 years old.

Question: How did you enter the country? What was the process like, and was it difficult?

Answer: Some of us came with a tourist visa and overstayed our 6 months.

Question: When you came here, how was life different for you and your family? What was the most life changing aspect of this new life?

Answer: I don't think is easy for anybody. You come from a small city to NYC, you dont speak the language and nothing feels familiar. The most challenging was navigating the school system (for my little sister who then was only 4 years old), the subway - we got lost a lot! And the language barrier for all of us.

Question: Describe the opportunities you had and work you did as a result of becoming an American citizen.

Answer: I was able to support my parents with a better income. Once I adjusted my status, I wanted to work for organizations that help immigrant families, like mine, find the resources available to them and to advocate for our community.

Question: What does being an immigrant mean to you? Is there a message you’d like to give other immigrants who are in the process of coming to this country?

Answer: Being an immigrant means i contribute to this country as much as anybody else does.