A UPS driver’s excitement over his first paycheck could hardly be contained. Yoel Diaz said he was so excited because he could barely fill his refrigerator before immigrating from Cuba. Now, he lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and his fridge is full. "This is my first hourly paycheck that I... feel every hour counted," he said in the video. "That every hour of work has importance in my life and that I know I can work hard for something. I can't compare that emotion with anything. Because I never had that in my country." He stated, he's "grateful" to be in the United States. "When you have this for the first time, your head explodes and say, 'Wow, it's beautiful,'" he said. Before he came to the U.S. in 2021, Diaz was a computer science teacher in Cuba, earning $12 a month. He lamented how far ahead the U.S. was in the field. Diaz met his wife, who is Cuban American, when they were young and still living in Cuba. She'd often tell him about the realities outside of Cuba, which she believed was held back by its Communist party. They eventually married and were faced with a decision: stay or go to the U.S. Diaz said he told his wife: "We want a future, we want a family... wherever you go I go." He came to America on a K-1 visa, and when he received his work permit, he applied for a job at UPS. "I never had this much money in my hands from my effort, from my sweat, and it hurts that millions in my country and other countries can't have that," he said. "And being here, you can get it in a dignified manner."show more

CALL TO ACTIVISM

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