Eduardo Ortiz: Refusing to let stereotypes hold him back
Reprinted with permission of
The Herald Journal, Bridgerland Edition: "Neighbors from Afar"
By Emilie H. Wheeler
Eduardo Ortiz
Age: 39
Favorite thing about Cache Valley: “The people in Cache Valley are some of the best. People make the difference.”
Been in Cache Valley: 12 Years
Profession: Senior research associate in USU’s Early Intervention Research Institute
Months ago, Eduardo Ortiz was grocery shopping with his children in Logan when he and a stranger started talking.
They spoke for a few minutes, in what the native Ecuadorian thought was friendly conversation, before the man said something to Ortiz he’ll always remember:
“He said something like, ‘You know, you’re so smart, you should go back and get your GED,’” Ortiz says.
It was a stereotype Ortiz has often encountered: Because of his dark skin tone and Spanish accent, many assume he’s not educated, which is about as far from the truth as it gets.
But while Ortiz does acknowledge that many in Cache Valley rely on those types of stereotypes, he’s hesitant to put too much focus on those people. Instead he likes to talk about everything he loves about the area—the opportunities, education and, yes, the people.
The 39-year-old has been in Logan for more than a decade, but still maintains strong ties to Ecuador, where he grew up in a small town high in the Andes. After spending his childhood as the youngest of six children in Alausi, where he has strong family roots, Ortiz moved to Quito, the nation’s capital. There he attended the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, collecting a bachelor’s in political science and then a law degree. Following school, he began working as an assistant lawyer. It was through that route his life took a turn toward the United States.
As the legal consultant for a nonprofit organization, Ortiz traveled to Washington, D.C., for a conference in the late 1990s and fell in love with the United States. He visited the museums, saw a copy of the Constitution and learned about how the US government worked.
“It was a very inspirational time,” he said. “I could see a lot of ideas.”
The wealth of knowledge attracted him, and Ortiz soon decided to move his new wife, Valeria, and young son to the States.
At the time, his older sister was working on a PhD in economics at Utah State University. She invited him to check out Cache Valley.
“Logan is a very special place,” Ortiz said. “It’s a perfect place for young families; very safe.”
After living in Quito, a city of more than 1 million people, Ortiz said safety had become a priority for his family.
In the late 1990s, Ortiz entered a master’s program at USU. His schooling was paid in various ways through assistantships from his home country, but in 2000 an economic crisis hit Ecuador and Ortiz soon faced a tough decision.
The money was getting reduced by five times,” he said. “The easy way for them was to say, ‘Come back.’”
He decided to stay however, hand recalls with emotion the “tough time” his growing family had. By 2002, he obtained his MBA and later started working on a doctorate degree through the Department of Sociology.
Ortiz like s to say he’s raising his three children to acquire the best of the American culture while maintaining the best of their Ecuadorian roots. He makes sure they understand principles like freedom and independence and how they make the US what it is. But he and Valeria, who studied computer science in Ecuador, are teaching them how important family is, something they both learned growing up in Ecuador.
“They are combining those very important values of both cultures,” he said. “I’ve been impressed with their capabilities.”
Among the American values he treasures are the cultural expectations—or lack thereof—for women. He and Valeria have taught them that boys and girls can do the same thing—that certain roles aren’t reserved for certain genders.
“My daughters have the chance to do what they want,” he said.
All of his children are very smart, he says proudly. Two have skipped grades and his youngest started Kindergarten reading 100 words a minute. All three are bilingual.
“They are not only bilingual, they are bicultural,” he said.
As they’ve grown, Ortiz has taught his children to be sensitive to different ways of thinking, to interact and discuss issues. It’s the way he was raised, he said.
His childhood familial traditions are what has made Ortiz the man he is.
“I grew up reading all the time,” he said. “We read the classical books, became familiar with American authors even though we were reading in Spanish.”
His father, a former Congressman for Ecuador who now farms his land, was an avid reader, Ortiz said.
He and his father are still close, he says. They speak frequently, and his father even critiques his writing.
In addition to passing along the love of reading, Ortiz’s father passed along a passion for discussion and dialogue and education.
And education is one area where Ortiz has thrived.
With an handful of degrees, however, the Logan man is waiting for another door to open. Because he has been in the US under a school visa, he has a year after obtaining his PhD to obtain work. His time at USU as a research assistant in the Early Intervention Research Institute can only last so long.
“I’m looking for full time work here,” he said, quickly adding, “I love Logan.”
His graduation came at an unfortunate time, with an economic recession discouraging new jobs. Yet, he’s optimistic about what he’s able to do.
“I like teaching, I like social research, I like to work with the community,” he said. “This is a nation of opportunities. I’ve been blessed and lucky so far.”
In the meantime, he’s attempted to “give back” to Logan for the life it has given him. Most recently, he’s been named to the Logan City Parks and Recreation Board, where he hopes to provide good input due to his differing background.
Once his children started to make their way through school, he quickly became involved at both Adams and Bridger Elementary. Last year, he aced as the Bridger Elementary Community Council’s chairman.
“I’ve been trying to contribute or give back as much as I have gotten from this great place,” he said.
At Bridger, a school that is about one-third minority, he has worked through his service there to educate others about the differences among the Latino “group.”
“There is too much generalization,” he said.
Much of his research has focused around Hispanic children and the multiple variables that factor into making them who they are. His dissertation is titled, “The Influence of Family Structure and the Role of Siblings on Early Language development of Latin Preschool Children in the US.”
In addition to looking at where children are from, it’s important to examine what generation (in America) those children are, their gender and their social circumstances among other characteristics, he said.
All of those individuals have various needs that differ depending on those many variables.
In the midst of his service and work in the States, Ortiz maintains ties to Ecuador. He writes for a newspaper in his hometown area and is constantly saving to have enough money to send his kids back every other year to visit extended family. They spend the summer there, and he’s usually able to get away for two weeks.
“I work very hard, but it’s worth it,” he said. “It’s a good investment.”
