The Rough Road to Success: One Immigrant’s Journey from Jamaica to Florida
In 2001, a young woman named Marvalyn Briscoe left the comfort of her home in Jamaica, in search of a better life and a chance at success in the United States.
She was 33 at the time, unmarried and had no children. She was anxious, but her faith in God was strong. She was determined to start a new life and become successful.
Growing up in the rural town of Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica, Briscoe’s life was quite simple. No glitter, no glam. She, along with her six siblings and parents had to share a two-bedroom house with only one bathroom.
“It was nothing fancy, but it kept a roof over our head,” Briscoe recalls as she sips her coffee while still in her scrubs, relaxing on her sofa.
Briscoe is a tall, slender woman with long black hair pulled into a ponytail. She has a pleasant countenance and is an easy conversationalist.
Her home is very cozy. The ambiance reflects her Caribbean heritage with pictures of Bob Marley, handmade wood carvings, Jamaican maps, a plethora of family photos of those who still reside in the island nation. She was the youngest of seven children and things were tough.
“At times, there was no food to eat, no clean drinking water and no electricity, but I am very grateful to be alive and well,” Briscoe says, wiping tears away.
Her father died when she was only 18, making it hard on her mother and the rest of her siblings.
Nonetheless, Briscoe was determined to make it out of the hardships and daily struggles. On weekends, Briscoe sold “calaloo” — also known as spinach — for $1 a bunch at the local market in order to earn enough money to attend Technical School in the country’s capital, Kingston.
“I can remember getting up early mornings,” Briscoe says. “Picking and cleaning the callaloo, bagging them up and walking five miles to the local market to sell what I had harvested. “
“It wasn’t easy, but I never lost hope.”
Briscoe took several domestic jobs like keeping house, working as a janitor and serving at a local restaurant in Kingston, in which she gained experience and was able to provide for herself and help her mother out. Eventually, she was able to save up enough money to apply for her visa.
“I can remember the day I went to the embassy bright and early waiting for the officials to call my name,” Briscoe says. “I was so nervous and so scared that my legs were shaking and the palm of my hands were so sweaty.”
“I didn’t cease from praying for a miracle,” she says.
Mercifully for Briscoe, it was not long after that she received her visa in 1999. Today, she still has six siblings in Jamaica and worries every day about them not having the same opportunity she had to migrate.
“I haven’t seen my family since the last time I visited Jamaica five years ago,” Briscoe says, pointing to one of the many portraits hanging on her wall. “To know that it’s ten times harder for them to get a visa really troubles me.”
Briscoe cites President Trump’s ever changing immigration policy as the reason for her deep concern. She strongly believes that his administration does not have immigrants’ — and therefore the United States’ — best interests at heart.
“President Trump needs to remember that this country was built by immigrants and his immigration policies need to be more accommodating to those coming from other countries,” Briscoe says. “[As a] matter of fact, we’re not all criminals, we’re the ones who pick up the slack and we work extra hard.”
“He’s trying his best to make America into a place where it’s all about America and no place else,” she says.
In the small village of Saint Elizabeth, the job market was scarce. Some residents raised cattle and sold them to neighbors and local meat shops, while others grew and sold crops. Many women and young ladies were maids. A number of residents were unemployed and barely had an elementary school education.
Before leaving Jamaica in 2000, Briscoe landed a job as a housekeeper at a hotel in Massachusetts through the help of close friend.
“When my friend Sheryl called me that day and told me that she had an opportunity for me, I knew that I had to act quickly, or my chances might be limited,” she says. “I knew that I had to be strong and do my best.”
Upon arrival to the United States in December of 2001, Briscoe experienced a culture shock.
The transition from a tropical climate to a winter climate wasn’t easy. She often fell in the snow and had difficult time adjusting to the weather. Briscoe battled illnesses while not having an adequate supply of warm clothing. She was homesick, freezing cold and had no idea how to survive in a new environment far away from her loved ones.
Even though she was working in the hotel industry, life was extremely difficult. She did not have a stable place to live, and would either sleep at shelters or bounce between friends’ houses.
Briscoe faced discrimination on the job countless times, many tried to ridicule her for having a thick accent.
Eventually, life got better. She adjusted slowly to her environment and Briscoe was a very hard worker. It didn’t take long before her friendly personality, humble spirit, and work ethic gained her favor from her supervisors.
After about a year of working as a housekeeper, she met a supervisor who was also from Jamaica and gave her a place to stay.
“Marvalyn was a very hard worker,” says her former supervisor, Jennifer Woodard, 60. “She never hesitated to get the job done and her resilience was inspiring.”
While working in Massachusetts, Briscoe often feared that she would get deported back to Jamaica for being undocumented. She felt like her only hope was to have faith and maintain her determination.
“I was so scared, every time I heard a siren or saw a police officer I was paranoid,” she recalls.
“I thought they were coming for me.”
In January of 2006, during her normal night shift, Briscoe met a gentleman named Andrew who she fell in love with, and they married later that year. She and her family left Massachusetts in 2014 to live in the tropical climes of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Briscoe, now 51, has been married for 13 years and has three kids. She is now an American citizen, and has become a successful nurse practitioner. Her husband Andrew works as an engineer.
“My wife is a true warrior,” Andrew says. “I’ve seen her on her best days and on her worst days, and I can honestly say she has never given up, even when she’s exhausted.”
“She is the backbone of this family,” he says.
“My life was not a bed of roses,” says Briscoe. Life has taught me to never give up and always believe in your dreams no matter where you come from.”
Briscoe continues to be an inspiration for others by sharing her story and encouraging young women at her local church to live their dreams and never give up.
“I owe it all to my small island of Jamaica,” she says.
“All the hardships and struggles helped me become the resilient, hard-working, phenomenal woman that I am today.”
