At seven years old, I was the youngest chivero in Rancho Los Prietos, in Guanajuato, Mexico. As a proud and effective young goat herder, my day started early. Six days a week I would wake up at 4am. Walk over to my grandfather, Papa Pepe’s house. Have some coffee with galletas with Papa Pepe and my grandma Mama Ruma. Then Papa Pepe and I would take the 150 goats to the countryside before dusk.

As I said, I was an effective goat herder and in my young mind, that was my future. My family must have seen the same thing because two years later, when they decided to immigrate to California for better opportunities, it was determined I should stay in Rancho Los Prietos to help my grandparents and their goats.

Of course, since you’re reading this now, you can probably assume that is not where my journey ended. My family was very big, and my parents couldn’t bring all the children in one trip. When my father returned a few months later to get the second group of my siblings, he came to say goodbye to me and noticed a small detail that made him change his mind about my fate. Papa Pepe had recently bought shoes for me and my cousin. But my cousin’s shoes were new and nice, the ones he had got for me weren’t. My father realized if I stayed in Mexico, I wouldn’t be supported as I deserved. So, he scooped me up with my other siblings and, at the age of 9 years old, I was off to Sacramento, California.

My name is Osvaldo Gutierrez and I am a professor of Organic Chemistry at UCLA, but I wasn’t always sure I would make it. 

Living in Sacramento as an undocumented immigrant in the early 90’s was not always easy. Like now, there was a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment. The notorious Proposition 187 encouraged the state to set up screening systems and prohibit illegal immigrants from using non-emergency healthcare and public education …. Continue reading Dr. Gutierrez’s story here. 

Lea la historia del Dr. Gutiérrez en español aquí.