Editor’s note: Monica Los was interviewed by Marjorie Stoneman on behalf of Whitewater Unites Lives.
Every immigration story is unique, and Monica Los’ path to citizenship and living in Whitewater is no different. Born in Peru, Monica traveled to the United States during the summer to visit family in Boston and as a working student in Lake Geneva during the summer of her law school studies. After a variety of experiences both in the United States and across the world, Monica’s path has led her to Whitewater, where she and her husband are raising their 11-year-old daughter.
She is so grateful to the people of Whitewater who have welcomed her and her family, are respectful, willing to help, and care about the community.
“Whitewater has been very healing,” said Monica.
Monica’s journey began in Peru, where she attended an all-girls school run by German nuns.
As a law student in Peru, Monica wanted to explore the world, and she ended up choosing Wisconsin, specifically Lake Geneva, for her summer work.
At a resort, she helped with housekeeping and then was promoted to the office because of her great dual-language skills. As a student there she realized she was making more money than many of the immigrants who lived and worked there. She learned how to make a bed for the first time and was taught by one of the local immigrant workers. She later met that same woman through her work at Planned Parenthood.
Both of Monica’s parents were chemical engineers in Peru and her father a professor, so education was important to them. Monica met her husband while in Wisconsin, and eventually decided to finish her schooling at UW-Whitewater. She came to the United States with a ‘fiancé’ visa, and as such they had to interview with an American woman who asked them to prove their relationship was real. Her fiancé pulled out a stack of calling cards that he had purchased to make the long-distance calls to her and that sealed the deal.
Monica has two undergraduate degrees, one in political science and one in international studies. She then went on to earn her master’s degrees in public administration and nonprofit management at DePaul University.
Because medical costs are so expensive in the United States, Monica would, each year, travel to Peru for checkups and medicine. One year she had run out of birth control, and found out she could get help from Planned Parenthood. She made a promise to herself that, “If I can ever do something for them I will totally do that.” Years later, she ended up as the manager of Planned Parenthood.
“I am on the side of privilege and it is a duty and an honor to represent those who cannot represent themselves,” she said of her work as manager of the Planned Parenthood of Delavan.
She is also aware that the majority of immigrants are focused on work, work and more work. In many countries, like Nicaragua, people are not allowed to stand up for themselves politically, so it does not come naturally. She hopes that the people who have lived here for a long time will realize they have a voice and know that they can help make the community stronger. And she hopes newcomers will realize that they have advocates and people who welcome them into the Whitewater community.
WUL (Whitewater Unites Lives) is a locally-focused civil and human rights group that works to connect the people in our community and to create opportunities for all people to learn and support each other in our common humanity.
