Millions of people live in New York City, and each person represents a different country, culture and demographic. Today, “I Am Latino” spotlights the Hispanic Community at Baruch College and asks them, “what are you most proud of about being Hispanic?“
Ashley Hall
Age: 21
Country: Argentina and Trinidad
Answer:
Luis Naula and his assistant, Juanita
For Luis Naula, America was more than just a land of opportunity – it was a place where he could make his dreams a reality. Emigrating from Ecuador in 1987 was no easy task, from language barriers to figuring out how he was going to start his career. “I knew I wanted to have my own business, but I did not know where to start…it was a daunting situation with little to no English,” he recalls.
Initially, arriving in the United States proved to be a challenge for Luis, due to the pressures of supporting his family in Ecuador and adapting to the American culture. But it was Luis’s first job as a hair extension maker in a small shop in Brooklyn that inspired his new business venture. Today, he and his wife, Ana Naula, are the proud owners of Olimpic Hair Corp, located at Broadway a 161st Street in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan.