Washington -- As a
nation built by immigrants, the United States has a history
of welcoming and absorbing new citizens from every corner
of the globe. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security celebrates
the achievements of talented immigrants in its annual “Outstanding
American by Choice” awards.
The awards program, begun in 2006 by the
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) division
of Homeland Security, recognizes the civic participation,
professional accomplishments and responsible citizenship
of naturalized citizens “who have demonstrated their
commitment to the United States and to the common civic
values that unite us as Americans,” according to USCIS.
Throughout the year, USCIS Director Emilio
Gonzalez honors naturalized citizens who have made significant
contributions to their communities and their adopted country.
Award recipients typically represent a cross-section of
society. Ricardo Ernst, a Venezuelan-born logistics expert
and professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown
University in Washington, is among the 2007 recipients.
Ernst told USINFO that he arrived in the
United States in 1983 to pursue a doctoral degree. An engineer
by training, he earned his doctorate in operations management
from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
“My original intention was to go back home”
afterward, he recalled. However, an adviser urged him to
gain experience teaching U.S. business logistics, so Ernst
applied for a position at Georgetown University. “I’ve
been there ever since, for 20 years now,” he said.
Logistics, Ernst explained, is the study
of “how products are made, moved, and distributed
most efficiently.” In business, “we move three
things: products, information and money.” He said
globalization and the Internet have revolutionized logistics.
“The Internet has been a great accelerator,”
introducing electronic commerce and altering the supply-chain
management of companies.
Besides teaching at Georgetown, Ernst is
an instructor with the Latin America Logistics Center, which
offers programs in several Latin American countries through
a partnership with Georgetown. “We have trained about
6,000 people since 1998,” Ernst said. “And we
have developed an entire logistics program” tailored
to the requirements of Latin America.
“Most countries in Latin America have
a disadvantage in terms of logistics; the infrastructure
is insufficient,” he said. While Latin governments
are aware of the need to modernize and invest in a better
infrastructure, budgetary restraints limit their options.
“So we train managers to take advantage of the existing
infrastructure and [to] still be competitive,” said
Ernst.
Of course, “when you talk about Latin
America, you can’t generalize; the countries are not
the same,” he pointed out. “Chile is a clear
exception in the region; it’s a fully developed country,
not a developing one.” Elsewhere, Latin America “has
a long way to go, but we have a moral obligation to help
the region prosper in the global marketplace,” he
said. “I strongly favor free-trade agreements”
as vehicles for enhancing competitiveness.
“But we are in a politically turbulent
time,” he said. Ernst expressed particular concern
over developments in his homeland of Venezuela, where President
Hugo Chavez has begun nationalizing certain industries.
“Venezuela is moving the pendulum in the wrong direction,”
he said. “Nationalization scares potential investors”
and cannot guarantee that income will be redistributed to
the needy, “so it’s not likely to enhance the
well-being of Venezuelans.”
Chavez’s economic policies, said Ernst,
“are going against the natural direction that has
proven to work. You need to open your borders, not close
them.”
Ernst became a U.S. citizen in 1997, and
he said he decided to seek citizenship because the United
States “is a fantastic country that respects your
cultural heritage and identity, and it encourages you to
push yourself to the limits of what you can give.”
Also, “the United States rewards hard work.”
He advised new immigrants to participate
in the civic life of their communities, and to learn English
as quickly as possible. Finally, Ernst urged newcomers to
pursue higher education, because “it’s the key
to moving up through the layers of American society.”
OTHER AWARD RECIPIENTS
USCIS has made awards to three other immigrants
so far in 2007: Mexican-born filmmaker Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
of Los Angeles; Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz, who was born in
Cuba; and attorney Miguel Orozco, who was born in Ecuador
and now heads the international affairs practice of a law
office in Orange County, California.
“Outstanding American by Choice”
honorees from 2006 include Haitian-born Gepsie Metellus,
executive director of the Sant La Neighborhood Center for
Haitian immigrants in Miami, and Renu Khator, a native of
India who now serves as provost and senior vice president
of academic affairs at the University of South Florida in
Tampa.
As Khator explained to CityMasala magazine
in March 2006, new immigrants to the United States should
be “very proud” of their heritage, which “is
an asset.” Respecting one’s cultural roots is
entirely compatible with embracing a new life in the United
States, she said.
“You should honor the land you have
adopted and must find a very harmonious way of building
upon the two cultures,” said Khator.
Lauren Monsen
USINFO Staff Writer
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