After spending 25 years teaching history, geography, and French at a middle school in West Africa, Fataou Geraldo packed it in and moved to the United States. He left behind a wife and children. The plan was to establish a home in the United States for his family.
Once Fataou established a place in Massachusetts and earned his citizenship, he brought over his children. Today, his children flourish as an accounting manager, a Ph.D. candidate in mathematics at UMass, Amherst, a senior at Springfield Technical Community College, and a freshman at UMass Boston. “They are all thriving,” Fataou said proudly.
“Everything I did was so that my children could fulfill their dreams.”
Prior to joining BCArc, Fataou worked at a retail store and a group home providing care to a special needs community. He was referred to BCArc by a relative, and he landed an open position soon after. He has since being promoted to an Assistant Site Manager of a BCArc group home in Southwick. “If I can help, I would like to help. I enjoy helping people and that’s what I do at this job.”
As soon as his last child arrives and becomes self-sufficient like her siblings, Fataou plans to live both in West Africa and the United States. “We have a large community there, and we take care of each other. Everyone is welcoming,” he said. More importantly, he added, he accomplished what he set out to do in the United States.
“Everything I did was so that my children could fulfill their dreams.”
