Valerio is a husband and a father of two sons. He was born and raised in Mexico. At the age of 27, Valerio and his family migrated to the U.S. in October of 2002. Valerio's wife is a U.S. citizen.

Like most of the immigrant-learners in our study, Valerio did not study English before coming to the U.S.

Valerio found a housekeeping job in December of 2002. He had worked in Mexico as an assistant accountant for six years.

Valerio worked full time while studying English. His goal has been to get a college degree and become a U.S. citizen so he can have the opportunity to participate in U.S. elections.