If you know me, my husband or my kids, you know Juliana or have heard about her.
About a year after we moved here in 2021, Juliana and I crossed paths. I was at the park with my kids and noticed a fun, energetic and playful young woman playing with two kids I recognized. Ironically enough, they were the kids of a friend of mine from college. I remember thinking to myself that I’d love to find someone that pure and genuine with my children, and if I could find someone just like her, I’d be able to comfortably take a much needed mama break once a week and accept help. A few days later, I reached out to my friend to ask about this gem of a human I saw at the park. A few weeks later, Juliana came over to meet my girls and it was clear she was the perfect fit for our family.
Eric and I started the process to became Juliana’s legal sponsors for citizenship the following year. We would do it all over again, but we had no idea the amount of disappointment, frustration and sadness we’d experience through the process.
Since coming to the United States almost 8 years ago, Juliana has experienced many ups and downs - all while being away from her family in Bogota, Colombia. Juliana lost her father and had to attend his funeral via zoom (as leaving the country would have stopped the legal process for US citizenship - even for this emergency situation). She and her fiance gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Irene, in August of 2023. Her mother and one of her brother’s tourist visa applications were finally approved, and Juliana was able to bring them to the US and see her family for the first time in almost 7 years in August of 2025.
Throughout these difficult and uncertain years of tirelessly trying to make a better life for herself, her fiance and her daughter, Juliana has showed up with a smile on her face and become a huge part of our family.
From day one, Juliana has tried gaining citizenship the right, legal way - every step of the way. With the current state of immigration, her status has not progressed and her application has had zero movement. In fact, the estimated timeframe remains the same as when we started this process in 2022. Therefore, they’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to move home to Colombia.
My goal is to raise money to help them start this next chapter of their life. If you feel inclined to help these wonderful people trying to do the right thing, the right way, please consider donating.