Immigrants have turned to the art of music as a pathway for success after struggling to find their roots in the United States.
“I never knew being Hispanic was a bad thing,” said Caracas native, Anita Hibrima. Being from Venezuela and immigrating with her family to Miami at the age of seven, Hibrima recounts the time she realized her heritage was looked down upon. “I remember being in school a few weeks after moving to the U.S. and my classmates were making fun of me because I did not know how to speak any English.” Growing up in Venezuela, speaking English was never a priority for her even though others in her community were bilingual.
Not only did the physical relocation affect Hibrima, she started to feel as though a part of her heritage needed to be stripped away now that she was in the U.S. Trying to find her place and make new friends in an unfamiliar space was difficult. Learning a new language was only the beginning. She realized being Venezuelan, the way she has always identified, was not the way others described her. She was now Hispanic.
Anita Hibrima in her hometown of Caracas, Venezuela.
In the U.S. being a Hispanic student always made Hibrima feel as if no matter how much effort she put into making friends she was always going to be an outcast. Not only did her classmates make her feel this way by pointing out her darker skin complexion, but parents did as well. Her mother, Mariana Alvarado, was never invited to join the parent planning committee. The other mothers looked down on Alvarado for having a husband who worked so often that he was rarely home.
One of the biggest regrets Alvarado has is not standing up against those who judged her family without ever getting to know them. “I never imagined moving to the U.S. would be so lonely,” said Alvarado. “I knew it was going to be difficult and my husband would have to work intense hours to make ends meet, but I never realized how unfriendly people would be initially. I truly wish I had known more English from the start because I wouldn’t have been as intimidated by other mothers and would have been able to defend my family.”
Mariana Hibrima playing with her daughter Anita in Caracas, Venezuela.
Humberto Hibrima, Anita’s father, also wished he could have been there more for his family shortly after the big move. “In Venezuela, everyone talks about how great the U.S. is. How you’re going to achieve the American Dream and have more money then you could ever dream of,” said Humberto. He learned quickly that despite having more work opportunities the track to earning lots of money in the U.S. did not come that easily.
The decision to move to the U.S. as a family was initiated because of Venezuela’s political situation. The country’s dominant political party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, had the Hibrima family worried about their safety as they watched things go from bad to worse.
After seeing friends with small businesses lose everything, they had worked so hard to establish and inflation of everyday household items continue to rise, the family recognized it was only a matter of time before the government would create even larger rifts on the way Venezuelans would operate as a country. Factoring in an increasing presence of gangs, safety became a big concern and became the ultimate factor in why the family decided to leave their beloved country.
“It was not safe for my family to stay living there so we needed to move somewhere safer and better for us to have a better future. I never wanted to place my family in harm’s way and although I knew it would be difficult for us to leave it was a sacrifice I chose to make for the sake of my family,” said Humberto.
Humberto Hibrima giving a kiss to his daughter Anita in Caracas, Venezuela.
Earning himself a work visa the family uprooted their life to the United States deciding on Miami as their new home. Initially, they believed they would settle in New York City, but the tropical climate and higher emphasis on Hispanic culture in Miami made the decision a “no-brainer.” Although sad about leaving his hometown Humberto was elated to be starting fresh because he knew it meant providing a better opportunity for his children.
As the family continued to adjust to their new lives, just one year into their relocation, brutal changes in Humberto’s job left him unemployed and now in danger of losing the family’s visa status. Quickly needing to meet the requirements of his visa, Humberto searched for work wherever he could in every industry possible even if he felt he wasn’t qualified for the position. With the fear of the unknown constantly looming in the background Mariana decided to begin attending school so the family could qualify for a student visa if needed.
She was always concerned about keeping the family’s visa status. Not having a degree from an American university made it even more difficult which inspired Mariana to go back to school. “Having her children receive a college education was a top priority for my sister,” said Patricia, Anita’s aunt. “After watching Humberto struggle to find work she knew that she never wanted her children to go through the same difficulties. Her biggest goal in life was to provide a home for her children to receive opportunities that would have never been an option for us had we all decided to stay in Venezuela.”
Anita Hibrima and her younger brother Humberto in Caracas, Venezuela.
Constantly struggling to find her place in the U.S. Anita discovered music was the answer to all her frustration. “I was able to listen to the lyrics of so many different songs that helped me realize I’m not alone and other people have struggled with similar situations like my family. Music became an escape for me. When everything else in the world felt wrong music always felt right,” said Anita.
After attending her first concert she fell in love with the thought of working in the music industry. Knowing how difficult it is to make dreams come true she vowed to one day become a manager for a large record label helping discover the next big artists and help them develop their careers into a massive success.
Without hesitation, music became the only thing Anita could focus on. While other children her age focused on playing video games, watching television, and school dances she only wanted to play music. Mariana and Humberto realized their daughter was finally starting to be happy in the United States even if it meant she was closing herself off to practice her vocal skills to pursue this “crazy” dream. They wanted to be supportive of their daughter’s happiness so they scraped together any extra money they could to enroll her in private lessons.
Anita Hibrima performing in Miami, Florida.
Building her skills, she got her first big break in 2016 when she was asked to join an all-female Latina music group. Elements Musica came together as all four girls brought their talents to Season 2 auditions of La Banda. While they did not make it through final cuts the opportunity inspired them to keep working towards their dreams. They began posting covers up on YouTube and performing at open mic nights throughout the South Florida area. In October 2017 they released their first single, Mejor Que Tu, which helped pave the way for them to make appearances on Spanish television and radio shows such as, Azteca Miami and Actualidad Radio.
Achieving minor success from the release of the single the girls decided to break apart in February 2018. Each of them had different reasons for wanting to break up but it made Anita realize she needed to focus on her solo career if she truly wanted to make it in the industry. Although already enrolled in community college at this time she decided she wanted to try to transfer to Berklee College of Music in Boston to ensure she gets the best music education she could.
In a time where Hispanics are not always provided the same opportunities as others prepping for the audition was a very nerve-wracking experience. All the emotions of uncertainty and not feeling accepted from when she first moved to the United States all begin to hit her again. She decided to remain very private about landing the audition only sharing the news with her immediate family members.
When the time came, she opted to travel to Boston with only her mother by her side. The audition process “was one of the scariest experiences of my life,” said Anita. “I’d done performances in the past on television in front of huge audiences, but this experience was different. Even though there were only five people in the room judging me, it was a moment that was going to determine the next few years of my life and I was going it alone when I was used to having three other girls up there with me.”
Berklee known for attracting top-tier talent from across the world seemed like the perfect place for Anita to continue her music career. Many of its students have gone on to achieve great success in the music industry as singer-songwriters, such as John Mayer and Charlie Puth. From producing to artist management, students are being prepared to break into a very competitive industry.
Waiting to hear back from the audition process was only the first part of Anita’s battle. With approximately 1,939 international students attending the university on student visas and of these students 600 representing the Hispanic/Latino population, according to College Factual, she was worried her ethnicity would ruin her chances of being accepted. Industry professionals have also identified Berklee students as standout candidates for jobs post-graduation so she recognized how beneficial this acceptance would be for her future.
“As an alumnus of Berklee I understand the desire of many Latino students who wish to develop their musical gift in this wonderful school,” said Juan Luis Guerra. Guerra, who is from the Dominican Republic, is known for his popular style of merengue. It has garnered him much success following his graduation from Berklee in 1982.
Although his degree was focused on jazz composition, he has transitioned his work towards Latin pop, bachata, merengue, and salsa. In 2015 he announced he would be partnering with Berklee to provide a $200,000 scholarship for a student pursuing a career in Latin music. The scholarship, financed by the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation, was created to provide opportunities to students from Latin America who have been admitted to Berklee and need the financial help to attend the program.
In the last few years, Berklee has tried to bridge the gap of distance, cost, and language for Latin American students. The creation of the Berklee Latino program, which gives students the opportunity to study the essence of Latin music in two areas, performance or songwriting and music production, was created to improve students' musical ability and take their knowledge of Latin music to the next level.
The program was a huge win for the Latino musician community and showed just how deep Latin music runs in the university’s curriculum. As of 2016, the program allows students to attend weeklong conventions each year in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. While currently serving 500 students, according to Berklee, the program provides students the opportunity to learn courses from Berklee faculty in their native Spanish language.
“We seek to take the Berklee classroom to the student’s own country where we explore together the rich Latin music tradition,” said Guillermo Cisneros. Cisneros is the executive director and vice president for Global Initiatives at Berklee. He said incorporating Latin music into their program offerings has allowed the university to reach a new group of musicians.
Getting to see such a warm embracement of Latin heritage is exactly what inspired Anita to apply for Berklee. “It felt like I would finally be able to go back to my roots while still pursuing a passion I discovered while living in the U.S.,” said Anita. Always trying to stay true to her Venezuelan heritage her audition didn’t land her the esteemed scholarship, but it did get her an acceptance which was good enough for her. “Getting my acceptance letter was the moment I knew I was finally accepted here in the U.S.”
The acceptance was something unprecedented for Anita’s family. A goal that took ten years to achieve had finally arrived for Anita. Her time had finally come.
Anita’s younger brother, Humberto who is sixteen years old, with aspirations to join the music industry as well has always looked up to his sister. It never crossed his mind that when his sister would travel to Boston to audition for Berklee she would find herself being accepted. “Things like this don’t happen for people like us,” he said.
Arriving in Berklee was a whirlwind of an experience for Anita. She knew she wanted to be a part of the powerful females found in the music industry and she found her community as soon as she stepped on campus. “I am always eager to represent my country wherever I go, and I try to perform at least one song from my roots to keep my culture going every performance while I continue to grow as a musician myself,” said Anita.
Anita Hibrima in her dorm at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
The opportunity to perform came at every turn and what made it even more special was how much Berklee accepted Latin music at open mic nights. “We have students performing songs from pretty much any big Latin artist and there’s always at least one performance going on at any time of the day on campus. You can find people doing covers of Selena Quintanilla, Ricky Martin, and even Prince Royce,” said Anita.
A newer concept that has unintentionally become a part of the curriculum is making sure each performance is recorded to be uploaded to YouTube. Although hesitant to put herself out there so publicly as a solo-artist Anita realized the industry is starting to shift to this digital mind space. She needed to either join the journey or risk falling behind.
One of her performances with fellow classmate Jesus Molina accompanying her on the piano has now been watched over 44,000 times. “Collaborating with Anita was just something all of us do at Berklee all the time. I’m originally from Colombia so I love getting to collaborate with other Latin artists here on campus because it allows us to show our pride to others and prove we're a force to be reckoned with,” said Molina.
Although Anita’s family is encouraging of her pursuing her dreams her family struggles with being so far away from her. “Knowing that we have to take a plane to see each other is a big hit in our family, whether emotionally or financially because we know we have to wait for a while before we can hug each other again,” said Anita’s younger brother, Humberto.
Anita Hibrima and her family in Miami, Florida.
Despite all the obstacles she’s hurdled throughout the years Anita knows her journey in music is just beginning. The determination to achieve her dreams has helped her push through the difficult times and she knows none of this would be possible without the support of her friends and family. Looking towards the future she hopes to be an agent representing some of the biggest music acts in the business, but for now, she’s content being that Venezuelan girl who made it to Berklee.