MILLS RIVER, N.C. — Every year, Hispanic Heritage Month has a different theme. This year's theme is being proud of your past and embracing the future.
Mariela Solano and her family came to America when she was 6
She and her family were natives of Costa Rica
Her family faced many disparities when they moved to the U.S.
One western North Carolina woman embodies that theme. Mariela Solano moved to the U.S. from Costa Rica with her family when she was just 6.
She remembers more than most about her childhood and the adventure her family went on to come to America, and it wasn't the warmest of welcomes when they landed in Nevada.
"I remember my parents running home in the middle of the day because immigration showed up at their job, and we were undocumented for a long time," Solano said.
She remembers her parents living in fear.
There were a lot of barriers her family faced.
"I remember the huge inequities that existed back then," Solano said.
For example, she came to the country not knowing English, and access to language services was very little.
"I was placed in a classroom with children with special needs and just other children, problem children that they had, and anybody who needed language services was in one room," Solano said.
She struggled greatly to learn the language. The ESL (English as a second language) program then wasn't what it is today.
More inequities her family faced included access to health care. The health care they received was pretty much whatever they could get at the health department.
Health insurance wasn’t an option for the family being undocumented. It wasn’t until a few years ago when Solano came to North Carolina, at 41, that she got insured.
"I was self-employed in Nevada for 20 years, so I didn't have health care, so I know all too well firsthand what it's like to live an unhealthy life because you can't afford health care," Solano said.
Even with these disparities and struggles, Solano is proud of her past and proud of her courageous parents who took a chance because it led her to where she is today.
"Experiencing all the inequities and disparities that we did drives me even more to do what I do," Solano said.
Now, she spends her time fighting for health equity after being denied it most of her life. Solano is the director of Health Access and Equity Programs for the Western Carolina Medical Society.
"I want to make sure that people don't have to go through what I went through, what my family went through," Solano said. "I can be a bridge of communication for people that need language services, and I can also be a bridge to help people access health care but not only health care, we really try to look at the person as a whole. What is it that you need to be your best to you.”
She also serves as an interpreter for the group helping the Latinx community understand medical diagnoses and what their options are when it comes to their health care.
"I've always loved to help people because that's what my parents did," Solano said. "Being a part of helping somebody have a better life, a healthier lifestyle, because they have access to health care, makes all the difference in the world.”
It is her past that's ensuring her future.
