Modern Immigrants

The only limit you have is the one you impose on yourself. Do your best, and your problems are minimized.

Adeyemi Adeoye was born in Nigeria in 1965.  A government requirement prevented him from enlisting in the military, so he earned a Bachelor’s degree in marketing and a Master’s degree in business administration. In 1998, he visited his brother in New York and a friend in Frederick. In 2001, he settled in Frederick to give his children a safer environment with excellent schools.  He worked in the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Bureau from 2003 to 2019, attaining the rank of Sergeant. He served on the Frederick County Human Relations Commission to help solve discrimination issues. He now works in the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia. Yemi became a U.S. citizen in 2007. He connects his family heritage with the Nigerians in Frederick Association.

Memory Treasure

Adeyemi “Yemi” Adeoye often wears his clothing from Nigeria. The brown tunic is worn with matching pants as casual attire. His other outfit, the pale green floral tunic (shown left) is for formal events.

Don’t forget your African culture. People will love you for who you are.

Oluwabukola Christianah Oke was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 2002, and arrived in Frederick in 2017. Her mother and siblings followed in 2019. Her father has been here for 10 years. Oluwabukola was very nervous at first. She thought she might be bullied, but people have been really friendly. Now she helps her family adjust. They attend the Redeemed Church of Christ. Members are from different countries. She loved her American Studies class. Now she can verify what her family sees on television based on what she was taught in school.

Face adversity and move on.
Your kids watch how you handle life.

Rita Materna Hubbard was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1949. Her family moved to Washington, D.C., in 1953. Her father was a U.S Army officer, and her mother was a German citizen. Their new neighbors didn’t like Rita and her mother because they were Germans. Rita loved her parents, but they were racists. Rita has always had African American and Jewish friends. She is appalled by the hatred of the past and today.

Rita married her husband in 1970. They had four children and divorced in 1989. She and her children moved to Frederick, and everyone worked to pay the bills. They now appreciate giving back to their community in Charles Town, West Virginia.

Memory Treasures

Rita Hubbard’s emigration from Germany today is very different from the experiences German immigrants had when arriving in Frederick in the 1750s. The early German settlers had no birth certificates and there was very little organization.  Rita’s birth certificate is from Germany, and indicates her birth in Germany on 12 November, 1949.

These photographs were taken around 1953. (Click for a larger view) This street scene was from Wiesbaden, Germany, Rita’s birthplace. These pictures of Rita with her mother and father (a US Army Soldier) were taken in Washington, D.C. when they first moved in 1953.

The Certificate of Naturalization proves that Rita obtained U.S. citizenship through naturalization in 2017. It indicates that she was not born in the U.S. and voluntarily became a U.S. citizen. The process requires an application, an interview, an English language test, and a civics test.

You have to work hard. Nothing is easy.  Nothing is impossible. Frederick is my home.

Paola Bonarriva moved to the U.S. from Lima, Perú, in 2001 to pursue a better future. She has no regrets. Finding decent work was difficult, because she was alone and did not speak the language. She began taking English classes, and her boyfriend from Lima joined her. The experience made her strong. They married and have three sons.

While living in Gaithersburg, they obtained Green Cards and decided to buy a house. They researched the best schools and picked Frederick. They are now U.S citizens. This country has given them many opportunities to grow as adults, professionals, and parents. Paola finds Frederick to be very inclusive and diverse. She became a real estate agent due to the positive experience she received in moving here.

Many immigrants feel shame and fear from their experiences.
I was given many opportunities that others were not.

Claudia Hernandez was born in Washington, D.C. in 1987. Her parents and grandparents left El Salvador to escape civil unrest. Her parents moved to Thurmont in 2003. She was seen as an outcast in school. She graduated from Thomas Johnson High School and had her son David a week later. With her mother’s help, she enrolled in Frederick Community College.

She graduated from the Universities at Shady Grove with a B.A. in Psychology in 2010 and later earned a master’s degree. Claudia married David’s father and had another son. They now live in Frederick, where she is the Coordinator of Family Engagement and Partnerships with Frederick County Public Schools and is a licensed therapist in a private practice.

Freedom is not free — it’s very precious. Frederick has a lot of history. Our history, Frederick’s history, is strong, and we need to respect it as well as our own cultural history. How do we bring that together? First and foremost with humanity. I hope that Fredricktonians will appreciate the history of the past and celebrate the commonalities and the differences.

Elizabeth Chung, Executive Director Asian American Center

Elizabeth Chung was born in 1950 in Hong Kong, now part of China. Her father believed that education was very important. Her brother attended school in London, and Elizabeth attended the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. She and her brother were the first siblings to leave home. The experience induced fear and anxiety, but they were inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and President John F. Kennedy.

Elizabeth wanted to follow in the footsteps of her father and grandfather, who were doctors who practiced traditional Chinese medicine. The University of Hawaii taught only Western medicine, so Elizabeth studied public health. She gained additional education at Penn State University, where she met her husband, also from China. Elizabeth now serves as Executive Director of the Asian American Center and chairs the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission.

In some ways, my body is in Frederick, but my mind is in El Salvador.
I would like to go back someday, but that is not a reality.

Jose Perez grew up in El Salvador with 12 children. They had no running water or electricity. His father visited the U.S. many times and encouraged him to move there. Jose wanted to be a farmer in El Salvador. With the civil unrest, living in America was the safest choice, and he wanted to help his family. In 1980, at age 18, Jose moved to Washington, D.C. He worked as a dishwasher and learned all aspects of restaurant management.

In 1991, Jose and two friends bought the El Mariachi Restaurant in Rockville. They now own restaurants in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Florida. Jose has owned and managed the Mexicali Cantina in Frederick for nearly 20 years. He opened Cacique in 2004.

Always hold on to your faith, take one step at a time, and be proud of who you are, where you came from, and be a good citizen. Your heritage does not change.

Maria Herrera, Executive Director, Spanish Speaking Community of Maryland

Maria Herrera was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1959. Her father was imprisoned under Castro and released. Her parents petitioned to migrate to the U.S. since they were outcasts. Maria came to the U.S. as a refugee with three changes of clothing. She sold tamales to neighbors to help the family survive.

Her father started the Spanish Speaking Community of Maryland nearly 50 years ago. The nonprofit organization provides resources and guidance to immigrants, and partners with other organizations. Today, Maria is Executive Director. Maria says that Frederick is amazing. People give their hearts and souls to help others.

Many Americans think we’re all Mexicans. Nicaragua is a melting pot with people of Asian, African and European descent. Our mission at Centro Hispano is to educate and support immigrants of all ethnicities
and faiths.

Maria-Teresa Shuck was born in Washington, D.C., in 1959. Her father was Italian, and her mother is Nicaraguan. They returned to Nicaragua in 1967. Both parents worked for American companies. Her school friends had different nationalities, faiths and social status. It was a good life, but there was poverty, earthquakes, and civil war.

At age 18, she and her sister, age 10, boarded one of the last flights to the U.S. out of Managua. Maria speaks fluent English and could always find excellent employment. She and her husband have three sons and have lived in Frederick County for 30 years. Maria co-founded Centro Hispano in 2006 and is the Executive Director now.

Memory Treasures

When Maria-Teresa Shuck fled Nicaragua at age 18, she was only allowed to pack three sets of clothing. She brought currency from the Central Bank of Nicaragua, this silver necklace with her nickname “Tete”, and her photo album of family and friends.

I love Frederick. Everything is much easier here. 

Vanda Yamkovenko was born in Siberia in 1956 and is Ukrainian. Her father was sent to Siberia, then part of the Soviet Union. Her mother, who was pregnant with Vanda, followed him. Vanda lived with her grandmother’s sister, who had been deported to Siberia when Stalin was in power.

From 1998 to 2005, Vanda made many job-related trips to the U.S. In 2017, she and her husband settled in Frederick to house-sit for her son, who left local employment to work for Facebook in California. While she had often visited the U.S. and is fluent in English, this transition was challenging.

Vanda is grateful that her son prepared a book of instructions to help her buy a phone, receive health care and find work. Her husband is an artist and exhibits at the Delaplaine Arts Center. Vanda is employed by the Asian American Center.