Local AuPairCare Au Pair’s great achievements

There are so many fabulous stories out there to tell about people.  One such person I would like to talk about is Suzana Teixeira Usami. She came to America March 7th 2012 and became an au pair to a local Ridgewood family.  She was responsible for 3 young children and always was able to meet all the challenges that came her way.  Studying English during this time was of utmost importance to her.  Suzana had great plans for her future career and therefore she decided to extend for another 6 months with her family.  During that time, she focused on planning her future.  Suzana had already finished her BA in Brazil, prior to arriving, so her goal was to get her associates degree here in Criminal Justice.  She has since graduated from Bergen Community College and has applied for the Army National Guard.  She is anxiously awaiting to get accepted and hopes for a positive response very soon. Then it would be off to boot camp for 9 months. Her goal is to develop programs to help create partnerships between countries to prevent crimes.

Suzana did not easily achieve everything, it took lots of hard work and many hours of study.  One of the most important things she learned during her 1 ½ years as an au pair through AuPairCare was to be patient.  In her own words, she had to “grow up”.  She needed to become independent and do things on her own.  A big challenge was not spending all her money on the frivolous things, such as going on trips or buying clothes.  Suzana needed to save every penny so she could afford her college tuition.  She states that this was all possible as she was blessed with a fabulous family who was caring and understanding.  They have stayed in touch since she finished her time with them as an au pair and they even came to her wedding.  They still celebrate birthdays together and see each other regularly.  They have become her second family.  One of the main reasons she chose this family was because they were a “real” family, with a father, mother and kids.  Suzana did not grow up with both her parents.  She grew up in Brazil with her mother but her father is Japanese, so her background is very diverse.  This is one of the reasons she is so interested international programs that span the world. I want to wish Suzana all the best in her future endeavors.