Five siblings left Cuba in the early sixties: my father and his sister, my mother and her brother and sister.
They brought with them their parents and a total of 8 kids (us).
My father retired as CFO of a multi-national company that grows, processes, and trades sugar in the world market, my mother opened a small business which employed four at the time she retired. They had one child after they arrived here; he is a corporate attorney (a damned good one), my middle brother is a nuclear physicist, and I am a Sales Manager for a Top 20 company generating sales in excess of $320 million a year.
One uncle is a Real Estate developer, his wife the Legal Assistant of the Senior Partner in a well-known Miami-based law firm, their daughters are a Computer Systems analyst, a teacher, and a registered nurse.
The next uncle runs a multi-million dollar a year construction firm, his son is his right-hand man inspecting all sites being developed, his other son owns and operates a 125-seat restaurant. His wife owned a beauty parlor until she retired, sold it a quite a profit.
My mother's sister worked as a seamstress until retirement, her husband was a Maitre D' at a famous South Beach resort until his death. Their oldest son is a veterinarian, the daughter married a VP with Chrysler, and raised her children, and their youngest drowned while swimming in a Miami canal. He was fifteen, and a brilliant student.
Our parents cared for our elderly at home until it became necessary to bring them to hospitals, we did not take money from the government for them. Our parents paid for all our tuitions, with the exception of those, like my youngest brother, who earned MERIT BASED scholarships; my brother received a 100% scholarship to the University of Miami, as well as to the Law School at UM both based on his academic achievements. Not one single one of us took out a student loan.
We have been too occupied with the process of becoming fabulously successful to take any time to soak up tax dollars...hell, we've generated more than most.
Our story as a family is not unique within the Cuban immigrant community.
Drop me a résumé after you graduate, and I'll see if we can help you find a way to earn the living you owe those of us who paid for your education.
guess you made short shrift there, luis!