Posted by Drew Kerr |
Thursday, December 8, 2022 11:58:00 AM
Metro Transit employees come from many cultures and backgrounds. To celebrate this diversity, employees who are proud to share their heritage and identity will be regularly featured on the Riders' Almanac blog. Read more stories here.
Please tell us a little bit about your background.
I was raised in Cuenca, a city in the mountains of Ecuador, and came to the United States in 2009. I lived in Chicago for a year and moved here because my wife is from Minnesota. I worked as a night shift custodian for the Woodbury School District for three years while going to Minneapolis Community and Technical College to study electrical construction. After graduating, I worked for different companies while doing my apprenticeship and then joined Anoka County as an electrician/building engineer , where I worked for eight years.
How did you come to work at Metro Transit?
I was living in south Minneapolis and looking for job opportunities closer to home. I had supervisory experience from 12 years as a radar technician in the Air Force in Ecuador. I was looking for government jobs on the web when I read the description for Metro Transit’s Facilities Maintenance Supervisor and realized I met all the qualifications.
How do you continue to celebrate your culture today?
What I really like about the United States is the diversity. But what I missed the most from my country is the food and the culture. I have two kids, and they are really good in English and Spanish. When I am cooking dishes from Ecuador, they are the first ones to eat them. I grew up in the mountains, but my favorite food is ceviche (raw seafood cured in fresh citrus juices and seasoned with red onions salt and cilantro). In the mountains, we have a dish made from roasted guinea pig, which tastes like rabbit.