Meet Jonathan Ochart
Latino staffers at NPR share their family stories of perseverance, sacrifice, and hard work to achieve the American Dream. These stories are defined by universal values of pride, hope, and an endless determination to help shape the new American landscape.
I hail from parents who exemplify Puerto Rico’s multicultural nature. They, and I, are descendants of indigenous islanders and Europeans alike.
My mother is half German, half Puerto Rican. Her father, who was born and raised in Utuado (a small town in the middle of Puerto Rico’s mountains), comes from a long line of indigenous islanders known as Taínos. He served in the Army in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, and returned to Puerto Rico to retire after touring Europe and the U.S.
My father’s ancestry also speaks to the island’s multiculturalism. His father’s predecessors arrived in Puerto Rico centuries ago from Spain and France, and his mother is an indigenous islander from the western city of Mayagüez.
“I’m already looking forward to hiking across El Yunque National Forest, exploring Old San Juan, and devouring my grandma’s homemade tostones!”
My parents married in Fajardo, a town hailed as the “Metropolis of the Rising Sun.” In pursuit of new opportunities, my father enlisted in the Army in the ’80s, bringing him to Fort Hood, Texas, for his first assignment.
Despite moving across the world every few years (thanks to growing up in a military household), we visited our family in Puerto Rico whenever we could. I’m already looking forward to hiking across El Yunque National Forest, exploring Old San Juan, and devouring my grandma’s homemade tostones!
