Local Venezuelan migrants demonstrate the power of faith and family
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- The challenges of packing up a family in the middle of a war zone and starting a new life have inspired a local woman to write a book about her experiences.
Wilmary Rondon and five other family members were forced to leave their home country of Venezuela several years ago, due to military coups and increasingly dangerous conditions.
Although reluctant to leave her homeland, Rondon said her family's well-being became the priority for her and for her husband.
"I always said if I move to another place, it would be with my whole family," Rondon said.
Sadly, that family did not include her mother, who died of cancer before the family could leave for the United States. The U.S. granted Protected Status Asylum for Venezuelans due to the dangerous conditions in the country over the past two decades.
Rondon's remaining family members, who made the journey with her, included her father and husband, a sister and two nieces.
One niece, a teenager named Wili, is now a high school student in St. Joseph and said the ability to be involved in a school that was not constantly shutting down or being being denied essentials has made all the difference for her.
"It felt like my education just stopped for about three years," Wili said. "I feel like I didn't learn anything, and then I started learning again when I came here."
Education is a key value among the Venezuelans who were forced out. The International Organization for Migration estimates that about 61% of Venezuelans forced out of their country during its dictatorship have either college or technical training. That includes 48% who have a bachelor's degree or higher, more than the U.S. national average of 36%.
Rondon herself holds a degree in political science but was not able to find a job or gain consistent access to key resources before coming to the U.S.
Rondon now works in St. Joseph as a recruiter, and her bilingual skills have made her a great asset to her company. Co-workers describe her as thoughtful, caring and hard-working.
She said her difficulties, which include the loss of her mother and her brother (Wili's father), have made her more compassionate toward others, regardless of their background.
"I try to help people, because I like helping others," Rondon said. "I have had a hard life, and that has made me more sensitive to others."
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