Jesse Velasquez

* Thank you for the front-page story of Jesus “Jesse” Velasquez, who went from being a hospital janitor to a registered nurse in the same hospital (“He Could Not Die a Janitor,” Nov. 7). You should run articles of this type more often, rather than the usual random shootings, political rhetoric and darkness in the world. Congratulations to Velasquez for his accomplishments and continued success in his goal to become a physician’s assistant and beyond.

JOHN P. FLORES

Apple Valley

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What a tremendous pleasure it was to read about the story of Jesse Velasquez. This man has shown two important aspects of life in America that we should all consider. First, people in the U.S should appreciate that they can achieve their goals to make their lives as good as they desire them to be. Second, if more immigrants took a path to self-improvement similar to Jesse’s, all the fences around the U.S. would come down, and immigrants would be courted from other countries like top executives are lured away to new jobs.

GREG RANDALL

Woodland Hills

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In the long essay concerning the Mexican immigrant who trained in the U.S. to become a nurse, I resent the recurring denigrating theme that is repeated three times--”He could not die a janitor.”

There is nothing wrong with the job classification of janitor. All honest work is noble and honorable. Those who clean the streets, remove the trash and polish our planet so that others can live in an environment of cleanliness and beauty are terribly valuable.

GEORGE WOOD

Malibu