Meet EnGen Learner Hugo: How an Overpacked Suitcase Started an Unexpected Journey
“I spoke only basic English when I arrived in the U.S. – like colors, numbers, words like ‘mom and dad.’ Now I understand so much more – it feels great, like now it’s just a matter of practice.”
When asked what brought him from Michoacán, a state in western Mexico, to Michigan, Hugo laughs and says “it’s a funny story.”
The journey he recounts is powered by equal parts happenstance and hard work.
It begins in 2014, when Hugo graduated from dental school in Michoacán’s capital city. He had fulfilled a long-held goal of a career in health care, had saved some money, and was eager to travel. “I had family living in Texas – my grandmother and my uncle – so I applied for a tourist visa to visit the U.S.”
By early 2017, Hugo had received his visa and had traveled to Texas. He was waiting for a bus in Houston when he noticed a woman struggling with a heavy suitcase and offered to help. Finding that she spoke Spanish, the two struck up a conversation.
“I joked with her – I said ‘amiga, let me guess: you’re traveling for just a week but you brought everything, even your iron.’ Her bags were so overpacked – it was obvious that she hadn’t traveled much. She was a total novice.”
The conversation evolved into a friendship – and later, into a relationship.
Hugo’s fellow traveler, Meli, hailed from Michigan; he visited her there that May, and then again in August. Shortly after that, they got engaged. By December, Meli made a trip to Michoacán to meet Hugo’s family. The following year, the couple got married in Michigan. And that’s where the story gets more complicated.
Hugo applied to adjust his visa status from tourist to resident, and returned to Mexico to work while waiting for his green card and work permit. The process was slow. And by mid-2020, COVID-19 had forced U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to furlough much of its workforce, causing more processing delays . As the pandemic wore on, Hugo flew to Michigan to reunite with Meli – but still hadn’t received his work permit.
“I had so much time to study [English] because I had nowhere to go. Classes were delayed because of the pandemic. So I watched videos on YouTube. I downloaded apps. I watched movies with my wife, and that’s it. Nothing really worked,” Hugo recalls.
By 2021, COVID-19 public health protocols had been lifted. Hugo accompanied his daughter – Meli had two children from a previous relationship – to a local middle school for soccer practice. At the school, Hugo again found himself in the right place at the right time.
Via his daughter’s team, Hugo met the president of the soccer club – who also worked at an excavation company. When Hugo finally received his work permit, he had a job waiting for him at the company.
And via a flier posted at the school, Hugo connected with an adult ESL program offered via Van Buren Intermediate School District (VBISD), funded with a federal WIOA grant. VBISD’s classes were offered in person, coupled with online access to EnGen’s career-aligned English courses, part of a statewide partnership forged between EnGen and the Office of Global Michigan, housed in Michigan’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
“One thing led to another. It’s a beautiful chain,” Hugo says.
Via EnGen, Hugo has connected with courses such as English for Healthcare Professionals and Introduction to Dentistry, helping him gain the industry-aligned English vocabulary needed to reach his next objective: Rejoining his career as a dentist. It’s an ambitious goal that will require him to return to school, but one that he’s confident he’ll reach – especially in a state where his experience and skills are critically needed: Michigan’s dentists currently meet the needs of just 26% of the state’s population.
“In Michigan, everyone around you speaks English – it’s how you make connections. And the connections are happening for me, but I’m also putting in the effort – and this is taking me to new places.”
From a suitcase to soccer, Hugo reflects on the serendipity involved in getting him where he is today. But he also recognizes that success requires doing the work: “I’d tell others, if you want it, you’ve got to go out and get it. Be patient. Make the time.”
EnGen partners with Fortune 500 companies, regional employers, educational institutions and government agencies to serve tens of thousands of adult English learners like Hugo. Learn how it can work for your organization: https://getengen.com/demo