By Diego Pineda
Many immigrants who come to the United States are in search of a better life, better jobs and better opportunities. Or they might be people who struggle all of their lives and never find an improvement in their situation. They might be known for their profession or their physical characteristics, but does society know what life is like for them from their point of view?
Media and government have created stereotypes of what Latino immigrants look like and what they do for a living. Although these descriptions might be true, there is more to who the immigrants are than working construction or having brown skin and black hair.
Paul Cuadros, a UNC professor, works to change the way the public views Latino immigrants in his book, Home on the Field, he describes how he coached a soccer team of teenage Latino immigrants in Siler City, a rural North Carolina town. The teenagers attend Jordan Matthews High School and call their team, “Los Jets.”
Cuadros never knew the impact that Los Jets were going to have on society until NuvoTV contacted him and asked if they could film the team and their personal stories. The documentary series about the consisted of 33 days worth of shooting and it will air on July 16, 2014.
“‘Los Jets’ shows a split between both worlds. This series captures what the boys go through as they integrate into the American society. It portrays how they have one foot in one world and one foot in another,” Cuadros said. The series provides a voice for Latino immigrants to speak freely about their immigration stories and their lives inside and outside the field.
“The series will penetrate American consciousness. It will reach a broad audience and you will get to see the point of view from the boys’ life experiences, their hopes, dreams and fears,” Cuadros said. Although Latino immigration is a widely discussed topic within the government and media, this documentary gives viewers an opportunity to hear stories from whose who actually know what being an undocumented student truly means.
Dennis Leiva, one of the team’s players said that the series allowed him to create a family with the other players.
“They are the bros that I will never forget. Los Jets means a big deal, it means an opportunity to let everyone out there know that we do have passion, that we are all equal,” Leiva said.
Growing up, Cuadros never had a Latino role model, and he believes that people like Leiva and the rest of the team can be voices for those undocumented adolescents that are struggling to fit into the American society.
“Latinos like Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Sofia Vergara are already role models to Latinos today because they have persevered and led by example. I feel that Los Jets can do this as well and they will set the trail for someone else. It is up to Latineals to decide what is going to happen next for Latinos. Their stories are yet to be written.”