Perseverance pays off for Peruvian

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — Seven years ago, only one semester shy of college graduation in his native Peru, Augusto Robles decided to relocate his family to Utah, leaving his degree, job and friends behind.

In Peru, Robles held a managerial position with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, overseeing the maintenance of 360 chapels scattered throughout the country, as well as the Missionary Training Center in Lima.

In Utah, he had nothing.

"I didn't want to come, actually," said Robles, who recently left his position as assistant city engineer for Eagle Mountain to become Herriman city's staff engineer. "Even though I thought it was going to be good for (my) kids, I knew I was going to have to sacrifice something."

Still, despite this realization, Robles and his wife, Rocio, decided to move to the United States when a petition for his citizenship, filed by his parents almost 20 years before, was approved in 1999. A representative for the U.S. Embassy told Robles he had 90 days to sell his property, quit his job and fly to the United States.

The family arrived in Utah in January 2000.

"I realized that in order to survive (here), I had to find a job," said Robles, a West Jordan resident.

But, with little knowledge of the language and no college degree, it was difficult for Robles to find employment. Eventually, he began working the graveyard shift as a janitor.

"I said, 'This is one thing I don't want to do my whole life."'

In Peru, Robles was only three or four classes away from completing his bachelor's in civil engineering from the Universidad Ricardo Palma in Lima. But he knew that without a good job to pay for his education and an understanding of English, going to school would be far more difficult in America.

"I had to decide whether to stay in my situation or go to school," said Robles, whose English now bears only a hint of an accent. "With all the disadvantages, it was a hard decision to make."

Robles enrolled at the University of Utah for the fall 2001 semester, but unfortunately many of his credits didn't transfer. As a result, he spent another three years in school, while working full time.

"I remember punching in (for work) at 11:45 p.m. and clocking out close to 8 a.m.," Robles said. "After that I had to fly to the University of Utah because I had class at 8:10."

In between classes, he crashed in his car for naps.

Robles has always worked hard to get ahead, said Roger Sears, Robles' supervisor in Peru.

"He's kind of like a self-starter," said Sears, project manager for the physical facilities department of the LDS Church. "He just wants to do better in whatever he does."