Lia Lo Garcia

Lia Lo Garcia made the decision to move and pursue her dream of being a RN in the United States. This is her story on moving to Minnesota, “the land of 1000 lakes” and becoming a RN at Cassia.

Lia began her process in an interview in Abu Dhabi in May 2016. It was the chance of a lifetime for her, and something she had been waiting on for almost ten years. She knew the immigration process would not be easy, but in her heart she knew it would be worth it. Before Lia knew it, it was time for her and her husband to move to the United States. Anxiety, apprehension, illness and almost 24 hours of travelling was ahead of them, but they stayed positive. “My husband and I thank the Lord for making us trust his plans by trusting his process. And the realization is, there are hidden blessings in every struggle. It may not be easy, but it will be worth it”. 

“Living abroad, it can be seriously one of the greatest adventures of your life. The thing is, it is hard to know what something is like before you actually try it for yourself. I have been an OFW (overseas Filipino) for 10 years and I definitely did not expect that I would like it this much”.

“Here comes the adjustment period. Learning about a different culture, being outside your own culture and being part of a new culture from within, instead of seeing it from outside. But it is all worth it”.

Lia and her husband were lucky to meet colleagues from their previous jobs in Abu Dhabi again; fellow WWHSS nurses  Christian and Kristine Carpio , and her sister.

“WWHSS gave an opportunity to my sister, now currently based in NC. It was so exciting because we have not seen each other for 5 years. She and her family arrived in the country in February 2019 and I arrived in June 2019. We finally got the chance to see each other. And that is all because of WWHSS”.

“I would like to thank WWHSS, especially Ron Hoppe, with whom I had the opportunity to meet in person. Everyone I worked with was super nice and very approachable. WWHSS supported me since day one of the application process. I also appreciated the hard working Case Managers that were very quick to respond to all of my queries.”

Lia shares the following advice to fellow nurses planning to migrate to the United States, "It does not matter if the immigration process can be slow and tedious. What matters most is it is moving forward. Never stop chasing your dreams and be faithful to your purpose because that dream was planted in your heart for a reason. Pursue it with everything you have."