Nico Morales discusses his American Dream with UAlbany students

Central Avenue business owner Nicolas Morales talks with
UAlbany student Leila Holley for her global reporting class.

Nicolas Morales sits back in his leather chair, in his corner office at the State Farm Insurance Agency he opened last spring. He is a successful business owner today, but it doesn't feel like so very long ago that he was working illegally, worried every day that he would be deported.

Morales came to this country in 1993 from Costa Rica. He came to visit his sister and learn English. When he fell in love with Jolanta, a fellow student who immigrated from Poland, he overstayed his visa and joined the ranks of millions of undocumented workers in the U.S. He married Jolanta, but his immigration status limited his prospects and for six years, he worked long hours at odd jobs, trying to get his start in this country. Last spring, he celebrated the grand opening of his insurance agency on Central Avenue.

He told his story to University at Albany student Leila Holley Wednesday, as part of a project for Holley's global reporting class. The course, Global Perspectives in the News, seeks to give journalism students a larger world view when it comes to news production. It offers students readings and in-class speakers, plus the opportunity to do individual and team reporting on local immigrant populations.

The course is taught by Rosemary Armao, Associate Professor of Journalism and panelist for WAMC's "The Roundtable." Armao is an award-winning journalist, who created this course to serve as an "entry point into cross-cultural news gathering" Armao writes in her CV. "By looking at case studies of various countries, students compared and contrasted news values, topic coverage and bias. They explored how new technology and demographics have changed the presentation and perception of news."

This spring, the Central Avenue BID was invited to the UAlbany class to talk about Central Avenue's large immigrant population and what an asset this is for the larger Albany community. Students were then invited to connect with Central Avenue business owners who were willing to talk about their experiences as immigrants.

Wednesday, Holley asked about Morales experiences acclimating to American culture, and challenges he faced when he first arrived. "Language," Morales answers without hesitation. Language was the single biggest hurdle. He goes on to relate a story about a run-in with a police officer at a former job: "He walked through the crowd, he saw me, and he walked straight to me. I was illegal, remember, I wasn't supposed to be working, so I didn't know that he couldn't really ask me for documents, all I know is that the guy approached me, and started talking, 'Blah, blah, blah, blah, green card.' That's all I heard. So I panicked." Morales was certain he was done for. Turns out, all the officer wanted was for someone to move their green car; it was illegally parked. Morales laughs about the incident now, and says "green car" has become a well-known joke around the office, but he is mindful also, of how far he has come.

"When you want to make it, you will find a way to make it," Morales says.

"How do you think you've changed since just being here?" asks Holley.

Morales at his ribbon-cutting with Congressman Paul Tonko,
Assemblymember John MacDonald, Mary Rozak from
County Executive Dan McCoy's office, Mayor Kathy Sheehan, and
Treasurer Darius Shahinfar.

"Well, let's start by telling you that I don't think people change," Morales says. "It's not that I don't think, I know that people don't change. People learn...and because you learn, you change behaviors. I've learned and I've become more disciplined, but it doesn't change who I was. My physique has changed. I'm not skinny like I was before. But ultimately, I'm the same person I was before."

Morales says that since coming to this country he's learned to be more disciplined, more committed, but that the innate talent was always there.

"The talent was there, but the opportunity wasn't given to me yet," says Morales.

Holley and other students' final projects will be published here, when they become available. Stay tuned.

Nicolas Morales owns the Nicolas Morales State Farm Agency, located at 142 Central Avenue in Albany. For more information about the agency or the services offered there, please contact him at (518) 427-2886.