The World We Share: Meet Miguel 

In the 1950s, many people migrated to Venezuela following a boom in petroleum production. Miguel’s grandfather, a Santa Cruz de Tenerife native, was one of them. He traveled by ship to the South American nation with his wife and three children, including Miguel’s dad. His father was fourteen at the time. From the moment his father set foot in Venezuela, he started earning a living, setting an example of hard work and perseverance for his sons. 

But what Miguel inherited from his grandfather was a deep sense of wanderlust. “Migrating is a very personal decision that depends a lot on your circumstances,” he shares. And in Miguel’s case, his circumstances changed often. 

Life in Venezuela 

Growing up in Venezuela, he always found himself longing to leave. He was primarily drawn to the United States thanks to his best friend whose mom lived in New York. Miguel would often spend his summers in Brooklyn at his friend’s house.  

“I studied Marketing in Venezuela and then moved to the United States to study Business Administration at the University of Tennessee. I graduated in 1985 and decided to move back to Venezuela.” 

Miguel believes his decision to return to his home country was a heart vs. mind decision where his emotions won out. The Venezuela he returned to was not the one his grandfather had eagerly crossed an ocean for, especially when it came to financial opportunities. For a while, Miguel made ends meet and started a family, which posed its own set of challenges. 

In search of home 

Miguel’s daughter Andrea, the apple of his eye, was born with an intellectual disability. Though Andrea was eagerly showered with love and care from her family, the healthcare system in Venezuela didn’t have a lot to offer for kids with her condition. This new reality forced Miguel to look into other options, finally settling on following in his grandfather’s footsteps – but backwards. 

In 2003, Miguel moved in with his father’s family in the Canary Islands and initiated the migration process for his wife and daughter. “My situation was dire because I didn’t have a job and we were only relying on my wife’s income. In Venezuela, when you have a kid with a disability you need to have a lot of financial resources because there is no public health system,” explained Miguel. 

Settling in Spain 

Though Miguel had his father’s family to fall back on, migrating was still a complicated endeavor. He picked up all kinds of odd jobs from cleaning tables to bartending for seven months until his wife and daughter joined him in the Canary Islands. They lived there for four years while they got used to their new lives and found proper care for Andrea. 

Things really started looking up for the family when Miguel’s wife got a job in Madrid. “We arrived on a Sunday, and by Monday Andrea was already enrolled in a special education school near were my wife worked. In 19 years, Spain has given her education, food, transportation, and a life-long pension which she receives every month. These were things her own country denied her,” says Miguel. 

Unfortunately, his wife’s company ended up closing while Miguel was still looking for a job. “I just wanted to keep pushing forward and work, but I ran into many obstacles because I was over 40 years old, and many companies didn’t want to hire me,” explained Miguel. 

Finding Ria 

Just when Miguel thought he was out of options, he interviewed at Ria for a Customer Care role. “I’ve been here since 2017 and I’ve been able to develop my skills a lot. I think that Ria is an oasis in a labor desert, where they don’t look at sex, nationality, religion and above all, age. It’s hard to believe but it’s how it should be in every company.” 

In his time at Ria, Miguel has become a top performer, garnering himself the nickname of “The Machine” and winning a Heroes award for employee excellence in 2022. 

“I feel the deepest gratitude towards this company for having given me the opportunity and for believing in me. That’s priceless and goes beyond a salary. My daughter is what motivates me to get up in the mornings and knowing that when I arrive at work, I’ll be surrounded by a group of people who are dear to me and who value and respect me.” 

Looking back 

Miguel believes life is about constant persistence and tenacity. Trying to do your job as best you can and giving every day your all regardless of the circumstances. 

“Everything I did, this decision to emigrate, to suffer, to go through all that I have gone through, everything is for my daughter, to give her a future and a dignified life.” 

Today, Miguel’s daughter is in her thirties and enjoys her life as much as her disability permits. For Miguel, that’s the true measurement of success. 

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