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Yeni Carolina Lera - Immigrant Stories

Yeni (Maza) Lera grew up in a close-knit family in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, and attended the University of Santiago Marino, majoring in civil engineering. Following her marriage to Jose Lera, the couple immigrated to Miami Florida in 1995. They later moved to the Florida Keys as she continued to improve her English skills and adjust to her life in the United States.

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Growing up in Venezuela and immigrating to the U.S. in 1995

Photos

Caption:

Yeni Carolina Maza (Lera) is shown as a four-year-old in her home area of Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, in 1981.

Where:

Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela

When:

1981

Ownership:

Narrator’s phot

Caption:

Yeni, five years old, is receiving a crown and banner upon being declared the queen of her kindergarten class in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela in 1982.

Where:

Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela

When:

1982

Ownership:

Narrator’s photo

Caption:

Diana Ninoska Gonzalez de Maza, Yeni’s mother, is pictured in the doorway of her home in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela in 1994. (Narrator’s photo)

Where:

Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela

When:

1994

Ownership:

Narrator’s photo

Caption:

Yeni studied at the University of Santiago Marino, majoring in civil engineering. This is her second semester ID card, issued in 1995. She commuted from her parent’s home. About a third of her class were women.

Where:

Santiago Marino

When:

1995

Ownership:

Narrator’s photo

Caption

Yeni’s family has gathered together to say “goodbye” at the airport in Venezuela in 1995 as Jose and Yeni left to come to the United States. From left to right: Diana (mother), Yeni, Jose (father), a sister, aunt, and several cousins.

Where:

Unknown

When:

1995

Ownership:

Narrator’s photo

Caption

Yeni and Jose are attending a party in her home town of Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela in 1995 before leaving for the United States.

Where:

Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela

When:

1995

Ownership:

Narrator’s photo

Caption:

Jose and Yeni on their wedding day in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, June, 1996.

Where:

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

When:

1996

Ownership:

Narrator’s photo

Caption:

Dianne Donelly and Yeni. Dianne was a very important person in Yeni’s life, teaching her English and helping her as she adjusted to life in the United States. About 1996.

Where:

Unknown

When:

1996

Ownership:

Narrator’s photo

Caption:

Yeni Carolina Lera’s Certificate of Naturalization that she received on May 29, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida when she became a citizen of the United States. (Narrator’s photo)

Where:

Miami Beach, Florida

When:

2008

Ownership:

(Narrator’s photo

Caption:

Jose and Yeni on the day Yeni received her citizenship, May 2008. Miami, Florida. (Narrator’s photo)

Where:

Miami, Florida

When:

2008

Ownership:

Narrator’s photo

Where:

Miami Beach, Florida

When:

2008

Ownership:

(Narrator’s photo

Caption:

Yeni’s father, Jose Manuel Maza Carvajal, is about 60 years old in this picture. He’s pictured with his niece Dubraska in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela in 2014.

Where:

Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela

When:

2014

Ownership:

Narrator’s photo

Caption:

Jose and Yeni with their son Gabriel (Gabe) Alberto Lera at Faro Blanco Lighthouse in Marathon, Florida in 2016.

Where:

Marathon, Florida

When:

2016

Ownership:

(Narrator’s photo)

Caption:

Yeni celebrates with her twin cousins, Alejandro and Eduardo Acosta, on their 60th birthday in Marathon, Florida in March, 2017.

Where:

Marathon, Florida

When:

March, 2017

Ownership:

Narrator’s photo

Caption

Yeni poses for a casual photo in March, 2017 at Key Colony Beach, Florida where she was interviewed.

Where:

Key Colony Beach, Florida

When:

March, 2017

Ownership:

Narrator’s photo

Caption:

Jose and Yeni with their children, Gabriel, and Nicole during a visit to Orlando, Florida in 2007.

Where:

Orlando, Florida

When:

2007

Ownership:

Narrator’s photo

Caption:

Jose, Yeni, Gabe, and Nicole are shown in a family picture in 2017.

Where:

Unknown

When:

2017

Ownership:

Narrator’s photo

Yeni Carolina Lera - Immigrant Stories

Interview Links

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