The Flores family – Working-class heroes

Born: Guatemala

Here: 12 years in Gonzales

Occupations: Miguel, apartment maintenance worker; Maria works as a housekeeper

Why they came: To give their children a better life

Maria Flores looks back on her last day in Guatemala and remembers it as a mixture of emotions, sadness underscored by strokes of nervous excitement. She recalls the goodbyes and the tears, the costs of the sacrificial packing-up of one life to pursue another, bolstered only with the hope that her children would find the best opportunities she and her husband could give them.

“We didn’t pack too much,” she says, smiling. “We didn’t have too much. We came with nothing, you know? No material things. We just brought a lot of dreams.”

Twelve years ago Miguel and Maria Flores moved with their four young children from high-density Guatemala City, where he taught English and she worked in a drug store, to tiny Gonzales, La.

Miguel had his sights set on the United States for some time, and an opportunity to teach Spanish courses at Gonzales Middle School was the first and best offer to come along.

Maria was reluctant to make the move. She could not imagine leaving her extended family and her job behind. And unlike her husband, she spoke no English. “But that’s what you have to do,” she says. “You have to go where there is the best opportunity.” The Flores’ first few months in Gonzales were spent largely at home. The family had no bearings in the small town, and without a job or any friends, Maria was completely dependent on Miguel for communication. She would follow by his side when he ran errands and watch children’s shows on television to learn the language.

Tired of this self-imposed isolation, Miguel came home one evening with an edict: No more Spanish. He wanted to integrate. He wanted his family, his kids in particular, to become American. That’s how they would succeed, he thought.

With a little networking he began to get Maria jobs cleaning the houses of colleagues and neighbors. Now she works weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as a housekeeper. At night she cooks the family meal and runs a side business ironing clothes.

“I don’t know how she does it,” says daughter Claudia Flores, now 17. Following leads for better pay, Miguel left Gonzales Middle School and works exclusively as a repair and maintenance technician for a string of area apartment complexes.

“It was a big dream of my dad’s,” Claudia says. “He always wanted to come to America.”

Another dream is to see his children attend college. Sons Esdras, 23, and Byron, 22, both graduated from East Ascension High School and work in maintenance and repair. Claudia, a junior and standout soccer player for the Spartans, may be the first in the family to go to college in the States. “I’m looking at colleges, but I’m not sure which one,” she admits. “I’m just focused right now on my schoolwork.”

Claudia’s soccer coach, Chris Goodall, says she has an opportunity to play at the collegiate level if she chooses. He describes the Flores family as hardworking and pious. Miguel and Maria support Claudia at most of her games, even though that can be a challenge with their grindstone work schedules.

“You just get a great vibe from them,” Goodall says. “Claudia is humble and the parents are wonderful people. They just show up and support her. When we have stadium clean-ups and fundraisers, they’ll be there at 7 a.m.”