Dublin – California

I received my Morrison Visa in 1995 while I was still living in Dublin. Life back home had its moments, but I wasn’t exactly on the right path. I had a job, but nothing that would ever allow me to build a life of independence. Like many young people in Ireland back then, I spent too much time in the bars and nightclubs causing trouble. I needed a restart, and the Morrison Visa was the ticket. America became my way to a new life.

“Landing at Palm Springs Airport on my way to Yucca Valley was almost comical stepping off the plane into 120-degree heat wearing a donkey jacket, ripped jeans, and heavy boots.”

I met up with some family friends who showed me the basics, getting a driver’s license, opening a bank account, and trying to find a job. If you’ve never heard of Yucca Valley, you should look it up, it’s not exactly the land of paved streets and golden opportunities. After a few weeks of scratching my head, I realized I needed to get out quickly.

From there, I moved to Coronado in San Diego. It was beautiful, but I quickly learned that without a car, a job, and money, paradise doesn’t mean much. I made a decision to head to Los Angeles. I couch-surfed for months, living on very little. My last thousand dollars went into buying a car, or so I thought. I got conned, losing nearly everything. Lessons in America sometimes come with a heavy price.

Eventually, I got a job selling clothes, met some Irish folks, and landed a bar job, not ideal for someone who liked to drink a little too much. After a while, the party scene caught up with me. I moved back to San Diego to escape the chaos and spent the next few years rebuilding.

That’s when things changed. I realized that in America, if you work hard, really hard, you can do anything. I moved away from the bar scene, took a job loading trucks in a lumber company, and eventually talked my way into working in their computer room. I had no experience but I wouldn’t take no for an answer. Learning that system was the turning point. From there, I moved into IT, eventually managing departments, earning degrees at night, and piling up certifications. Today, I work as a Senior Manager in the supply chain field for a large Japanese company, still pushing myself, still studying.

“But my greatest achievement isn’t my career. It’s my family, my marriage to my wonderful wife from Mexico, and our son, who is my proudest accomplishment.”

Life isn’t perfect, and struggles still come, but America taught me to work harder than the next guy, to respect people, and to never give up.

The Morrison Visa didn’t just give me a chance to move; it gave me the chance to lose myself and find myself again. I don’t know if I would have made it had I stayed in Dublin. Success for me isn’t material wealth, it’s having a simple life, being a good father, and being a better person. I took the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference.

I am blessed.