As a two-year-old, Oscar arrived in the U.S. with his mother, who was fleeing a difficult situation in Honduras to create a better life for her son. After graduating college in the U.S., Oscar came to Tulsa through an entrepreneurial fellowship and connected with inTulsa’s Visa Network.
What led you to Tulsa?
During my senior year in college, I was accepted into Venture for America, a national nonprofit based out of Detroit. Every year, they select a cohort of recent college graduates and provide them with networking advice and training, basically a crash course in entrepreneurship. After I went through their program, I had access to their job board which showcases open roles at startups in one of 13 cities across the United States. Tulsa just so happened to be one of the 13 cities that they partnered with. I landed a role at Tulsa Innovation Labs, which was my first full-time role. I worked there for two years and just finished my tenure there.
How did you find out about inTulsa’s Visa Network program?
While I was working with Tulsa Innovation Labs, I connected with Stan at inTulsa. We discussed my background, including how I ended up in the country at two years old. The inTulsa Visa Network developed a personalized experience that enabled me to go through the process of applying for a humanitarian U-Visa. My point of contact has been amazing, and the Visa Network has been a fantastic group to work with. Tulsa is lucky to have someone like Stan. He's been instrumental in getting me through the process to where I am today.
What has it been like to work with the Visa Network?
I'm privileged enough that I have lived in the U.S. for many years, so moving to Tulsa wasn't like moving across the world. I wasn't starting over. However, this was my first job right out of college and away from home. So, one of the things I value the most has been the networking and community-building events I've participated in since I joined the inTulsa Visa Network. I’ve connected with so many people from all over the world right here in Tulsa. It just goes to show the great strength, the great lengths and efforts to which this city goes to ensure that people who move here not only have a stable place in which to live, but they also have support systems. Having that sense of community once I moved here is something that's very valuable to me.
Do you have a favorite community-building moment with your Visa Network?
From time to time, the Visa Network will host events that go somewhere in the city to learn more about it and its history. A couple of months ago, we had the opportunity to go on a tunnel tour throughout downtown Tulsa.
Now, when I moved here, I learned that a hundred years ago, Tulsa was a dangerous place to walk around in public if you were a person who comes from wealth, because there was always a chance that someone could be kidnapped and held for ransom money. They built tunnels under the city so they could securely get from one place to another without having to face that danger anymore. When I first heard of it, I thought people could be making that up.
But the Visa Network organized a tour of the tunnels. As a group, we were led by a tour guide, going from building to building downtown—underground! It was pretty wild walking through the footsteps that people over 100 years ago took on a daily basis. It was just fascinating, not only getting to learn more about the history of Tulsa, but also at the same time getting to experience that with other people in the Visa Network. That's definitely one of my favorite memories.
What are some of your favorite things to do in Tulsa?
I'm really into studying foreign languages. There’s a very prevalent Hispanic community here in Tulsa, so there's always an opportunity to practice and study the Spanish language. I've had the chance to go to Japanese-speaking events and French-speaking events—and those happen with a fairly regular occurrence here. And I've met fantastic friends through both of those. Also, I've always wanted to learn how to dance, but I never had the opportunity to do that growing up. When I moved to Tulsa, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are tons of dance studios here. Right now I'm going to classes on a weekly basis to learn how to salsa dance.
What makes Tulsa stand out as a place to live?
People have a preconceived notion that there isn't a whole lot going on out here. In reality, that couldn't be further from the truth. Tulsa has a very deep and rich history, with a focus on the arts. Whether it be music, whether it be dance, performance arts, there's a deep culture here. There's a lot here for just about anyone, no matter what your interests are.
On top of that, Tulsa is also a place where just about everyone knows everyone. You won't have any trouble finding a very robust professional network. You'll have a good time creating your own cohort of like-minded and very close friends. There's a lot to like here.
What would you tell people who are thinking about moving here?
For anyone who's thinking about coming to Tulsa, I’d say, just come and visit. Get your feet wet and get a better understanding of what there is here. Through initiatives such as the inTulsa Visa Network, you not only get the support you need to move here, but also to continue to be successful after moving here. It's not only easy to build community here, but it also adds more of a reason to want to stay and help build Tulsa into a better city for others tomorrow. That's something you don't see a whole lot in other parts of the country. People are coming here to Tulsa because there's so much opportunity and it's just a great place to be.
