Ana Bobby – Peru
Ana was born in Peru and given the birth name of Ana Maria Teresa Torres Gonzalez. Ana came to the United States in 1986 and moved to the Mahoning Valley in 2005. In Peru, she spent part of her childhood in a small coastal town of Sullana and then moved to the capital city of Lima. Although Ana was learning English in high school, at the age of 14, her parents enrolled her in a private academy where for 3 summers, she spent 2 hours every day learning English.
Ana believes she learned about determination from her parents. Her father was a civil engineer who was involved in politics in Peru and later became the port authority. Her mother completed technical courses in accounting.
When Peru’s economy became unstable and the Shining Path terrorist movement emerged in 1985, Ana’s parents decided to send her to study in the United States. In Peru, Ana was aware of the atrocities committed by the Shining Path, especially acts committed against the poor and children. That was why she decided to accept her parent’s offer to study abroad.
At the University of Miami, Ana studied architecture but left before graduation to raise a family. She went back to school and got 2 degrees in management and international business at Florida International University.
Since 2005, Ana has been employed as 0perations manager and head of access services at Youngstown State University’s Maag Library and is very involved in organizations that focus on Hispanics in the Valley. She has met people from Columbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Venezuela.
Ana has 2 sons who have visited family in Peru. It is important to her that her sons know and keep the richness of their culture which she traces back to the Incas. She appreciates the rich folklores in Peru, the arts, the different dialects, and the people.
About her visits back to Peru, Ana says…”I feel like I never left. I love the food, its culture, its art, the geography of beautiful Peru…It’s doing really well today, but after 2 weeks, I’m ready to come back. I’m happy to be living in the United States. I’m very thankful for what my parents have given me and how I was raised.”