Immigrant Heritage Month: Maximo

Maximo poses at his high school graduation in a red graduation cap and gown, holding his diploma. He is surrounded by his mother, father, sister, and middle school teacher

Maximo immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic when he was twelve years old. His family decided to immigrate in search of better medical care. Maximo was born with multiple disabilities, and was struggling in school. By eight years old, he couldn’t read or write in his native language of Spanish.

When Maximo arrived in the United States, he began school in a bilingual program. With special education services in place, he began to learn English and find more success in school. He dreamed of going to college one day and worked hard to make that dream come true.

“Coming from where I’m coming from,
I have made it really, really far.”

After participating in the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative (MAICEI) program while in high school, Maximo was able to apply to Bunker Hill Community College, where he earned his Associate’s degree in Human Services. He is now studying for a Bachelor’s in Human Services at UMass Boston. He plans to graduate next fall and hopes to continue to help the disability community after graduation.

Maximo is proud of his Dominican heritage, and of how far he has come. He credits his Dominican heritage as a source of inspiration to keep working hard in the face of obstacles he encounters on his journey to building his human services career.