Maribel Matul-Ramirez, the wife of Lynn’s first Latino city councilor, Obed Matul, started her long and successful career when she moved from her home in Tahuexco, Guatemala, to Lynn alone at the age of only 14.

Now co-founder and president of the charitable non-profit His Love Foundation, co-owner of the local graphic design business Full Color, a mother of four, and a graduate of North Shore Community College with two degrees, Matul-Ramirez reflected on her struggles and eventual successes as a teenage girl in a new city and country.

“My reasons for leaving were the violence I was witnessing in my country — the corruption, the injustice. We were struggling with poverty, and seeing the lack of opportunities pushed me to make that decision,” Matul-Ramirez said. “I left my family and everyone behind. It was a very hard and painful decision, but I did it because I really wanted a better future for myself. I wanted to work for something better for me, and that meant sacrificing everything that I had known my whole life and leaving my homeland.”

Upon her arrival in Lynn, Matul-Ramirez lived with her 19-year-old brother, Miguel Ramirez, who had stepped foot in the city roughly six months before she did.

Within her first year, Matul-Ramirez enrolled herself in Lynn English High School but said she struggled with the language barrier and worked tirelessly to teach herself English.

“At the time, Lynn English didn’t have any programs to teach English to Spanish-speaking students, so I learned in English by myself. I started to watch cartoons, and I was reading the newspaper, even though I didn’t understand anything,” Matul-Ramirez said. “It was very, very hard. There were times that I cried because I felt so lost and confused. But I worked hard, and I overcame those obstacles.”

While she attended high school, Matul-Rodriguez said she was also responsible for working, paying bills, and taking on the many responsibilities of an adult at a young age. She said she faced additional financial hurdles when she delayed her enrollment at NSCC in order to work to pay out-of-state tuition.

Matul-Ramirez went on to earn two college degrees, one in Health Sciences and another in Graphic Design. Now, she and Matul’s graphic design business, Full Color, regularly hires NSCC interns. She said she hopes to continue her education in medicine so that someday she can provide medical aid to those around the world who need it.

“My message for not just immigrants, but for everyone — because as human beings we all have our own goals and dreams and we want to reach them — is we have to be very persistent,” Matul-Ramirez said. “Sometimes we can take a break, but we cannot give up.”

Matul also pointed out that since she moved to Lynn as a teenager, she has seen an expansion of the opportunities available to those willing to work. Her husband, Matul, said one of his primary goals as Ward 2 City Councilor is to bring the city’s Latino community closer to its government and better inform immigrant families of the opportunities available to them.

“There is a big gap between the city government and that community, specifically the immigrant community,” Matul said. “I just want to let everybody know that I’m here for everybody, the whole Latino community, and not just the Latino community specifically. I’m going to help everybody.”