An immigrant’s advice: “If you come to New York, please have a purpose”

Written by Lilly Maier     Jahaida Hernández Jesurum left her hometown, Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, in her early twenties. After a short detour in Spain, she immigrated to New York in 2007, becoming part of the largest foreign-born group in the city. Dominicans make up 12 percent of all immigrant New Yorkers, relegating Mexicans (the country’s biggest immigrant group) to third place, according to an official report by the city. After years of working odd jobs and...