When Milagros was 8 years old, her father took her to eat at a market near El Porvenir neighborhood, in The victory. Already in one of the stalls, while enjoying a menu, a homeless man appeared and all the locals tried to kick him out. All except his father, who told him, “Come sit with me.” Immediately afterwards, his father asked the man for the same dish they were eating, and the three ended up sharing an enjoyable lunch. This date was marked for the Peruvian and since then she has learned the importance of helping others without expecting anything in return.
A few years later, this compatriot had the opportunity to move to the United States. Thanks to her dedication and great work as an official in the State House of Representatives Connecticuthas managed to have the flag of Peru raised in his honor in the capital of said jurisdiction after receiving the recognition Outstanding Peruvian Citizen of the Year 2022.
And it is that the compatriot also promoted the vaccination of immigrant Peruvians through mobile clinics and achieved that around 50,000 Peruvians were vaccinated amid a pandemic COVID-19.
Milagros Acosta received recognition as Outstanding Peruvian Wine 2022. Photo: Milagros Acosta
This award is given to only 10 Peruvians worldwide who do exceptional work for compatriots living abroad. So Edwin Vargas, State Representative of Hartfordnominated Acosta as a candidate for his performance as a leader of the Hispanic community.
More than an officer
Milagros Acosta Calderón de la Vega grew up in La Victoria, actually on Lucanas Street, and has always been socially involved for as long as she can remember: at first in her neighborhood church; and later in the work aspect. However, 22 years ago he had the opportunity to move to the United States and start over.
In this way, our compatriot worked and studied the career of social service at the University of Springfield at the same time. “It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t impossible either. If you want to set a goal and move forward, you have to achieve it with work, hard effort and a lot of optimism,” he told this outlet.
Over the years, Acosta has gained a lot of experience, especially in terms of the issues it faces South American migrants in the United States In this way, it works in areas where it can help this population in obtaining health services, transportation and food.
The Peruvian flag flies behind Milagros in front of the Connecticut capital. Photo: Milagros Acosta
She is currently the coordinator of the Hispanic Democratic Party MPs and has managed to be a great liaison between the North American state and Latin American residents.
So in 2020, if the pandemic COVID-19 It hit everyone, she received many calls and emails from people who were out of work, savings or food.
“I have seen the distress of many families. Many left Peru, others were desperate and began to come. So I spoke to the consul at the time and told him that we have to do something to vaccinate our fellow countrymen who do not have health insurance. So we organized this clinic together with the Peruvian consulate,” he said.
As a result, 50,000 Peruvians were vaccinated during the various campaigns carried out. Above all, they used the polling stations for the elections of those years and promoted vaccination among compatriots, especially among those who were afraid to go to health centers because they had no insurance.