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2007-03-06 issue:

Not an impossible dream

The life story of Luis Padilla

by Jim Bishop

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For Luis A. Padilla, 40, of Broadway, Va., the American dream of poverty-to-success is not impossible. It is his life story.

The son of Luis Alonso and Fany Padilla and second oldest of four siblings, Luis started working full-time in his home country of Honduras when he was just 14. He was an office boy, a “gopher” by day, and attended school evenings, Monday through Friday. He completed his high school studies at age 18 in 1985.

He dreamed of coming to the United States to attend college, well aware of the obstacles. His family had little money, and he wanted to speak English well enough not to depend on a translator. To that end, he took daily English classes nearly four years.

In 1989, Luis came to the United States with the International Visitors Exchange Program of Mennonite Central Committee. He worked six months at Rockhill Mennonite Community near Sellersville, Pa., then another six months at Goshen (Ind.) College as a member of the physical plant staff. “I knew I didn’t have the finances or the connections to apply for college at that time, but I never lost sight of my dream,” he says.

Luis returned to his home city of San Pedro Sula and found employment as a personal trainer at a sports complex. He remembers this as a period of uncertainty. “People told me to stop dreaming, just keep working, but I was determined to persist until things started happening,” he said.

In 1997, he returned to the United States, still single at age 31—“In my Latin culture people were starting to wonder about me,” he says with a smile. He did maintenance and restaurant work in New York City, sending a portion of his earnings back to his family in Honduras and putting another sum into a savings account.

He moved to eastern Pennsylvania in 2000 and worked at Ziegler’s Apple Cider plant while continuing to save money for education. He visited Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Harrisonburg, Va., that summer and sought advice from the international adviser, who encouraged him to explore the option of a two-year program at Hesston (Kan.) College.

About this same time, Luis became a member of Plains Mennonite Church near Lansdale, Pa. One Sunday he told his story to the congregation, and the church decided to offer some financial assistance to attend a Mennonite college.

Plains member Henry Rosenberger notes that the church gives a $4,000 grant every year to any student from the congregation who attends a Mennonite college or seminary. “We’re strongly committed to Christian education,” Henry says. “It’s helping people develop their gifts for kingdom purposes.”

Between the church’s grant aid, funds he had managed to save from working and an offer of a scholarship from Hesston, Luis enrolled at Hesston in January 2002, where he pursued a track in education.

“It was hard, but I did well with my studies,” he says.

Something else happened just before Luis moved to Hesston. Through people at Plains Mennonite, he met the woman who would become his wife—Sharla Kolb. Sharla was a widow with a 5-year-old daughter, Emily. The couple “dated” long-distance while Luis was in his first semester at Hesston; he proposed to her the summer of 2002, and they were married in late December that year.

Sharla and Emily joined Luis at Hesston, where they both studied full-time.

“I went through a lot of changes in one year,” Luis notes. “I was a full-time college student, got married and became a stepfather.” A second daughter, Sara, was born a year later.

During spring break of 2003, Luis visited EMU, told his story of wanting to complete a four-year degree and was offered a half scholarship.

“Having a family brought lots of concerns with how we were going to manage continuing my education in Harrisonburg,” Luis says. “EMU would mean more tuition money, and I was only working summers and a few hours a week while studying full-time.”
Again, Plains Mennonite committed funds to help supplement the scholarship offered by EMU.

Luis switched from education to applied sociology as his discipline at EMU and received a bachelor’s degree in spring 2006, bringing a dream of more than 20 years to fruition.

“I’m grateful to Hesston and EMU for the education I received and for the professors who were willing to help me,” he says, his eyes filling with tears and emotion rising in his voice. “I don’t have adequate words to express my gratitude to both schools and to the Plains congregation for their support.

“When I came here [to the United States] I had nothing,” Luis says. “I was holding on to a dream that was part survival in this new setting, along with a determination to send money back to my family and save for college.

“Every move was risky, and making those decisions that involved the unknown were difficult. I found myself waiting on the Lord.”

After graduation, Luis and his family decided to remain in the central Shenandoah Valley area for the immediate future, not wanting to make another major move. Luis secured a position he enjoys as an assistant human resources manager at Cargill Foods in Timberville, Va.

Luis plans to enroll in the master’s in business administration (MBA) program at EMU, which offers flexibility in class scheduling for working adults to earn this graduate degree.

He and Sharla bought a house in Broadway, near his workplace—“Some people say, ‘Are you crazy?’ ” he says with a smile—but that’s another risk Luis decided to take. “Here in America, it’s possible,” he says. The family attends Ridgeway Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg.

Not all that Luis has gleaned during his educational journey has taken place in the classroom.
“I discovered the importance of taking relationships seriously—having friends all over the place really helped—in helping fulfill my dream,” he points out. “The connections made at Hesston and EMU will last a lifetime.”

“I learned to manage my time and money—it’s made such a difference,” he says. “I’ve learned to wait and not take anything for granted—nothing is free; everything has a price. Part of that price was leaving a lot behind in coming to the United States, including not having seen his parents in 10 years.

Luis desires opportunities to tell the story of his journey to others, noting that “if only one person receives encouragement from my experience to pursue their dream, that’s more than worth it.”

“God will continue to be with us,” Luis says. “I want to share my blessings with others.”

Jim Bishop is public information officer at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Va., a free-lance writer and columnist, photographer and radio announcer.

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