From Political Asylee to Employer — Colombian Immigrant Believes ‘You Have To Do Things in the Right Way’

Diva Herazo knows the value of good medical care. Originally from Colombia, she and her family were in the United States, in the process of applying for political asylum, when her daughter became ill. “She was born with just one kidney, and she got an infection and needed surgery while we were going through the process,” Herazo recalls. “Thank God for the help we got from this country.”

Nearly 15 years later, Herazo is not only a U.S. citizen, but also the owner of Biomedent, a mobile and on-site medical and dental services company based in Katy, Texas. “Many communities don’t have dental facilities to go to, and especially if you’re a manufacturer or a laborer or a construction worker, you don’t have the time to visit the dentist. So, I started a company that comes to you.”

There are many people here that help the community and society grow, and they should have the chance to live freely.

Herazo’s is trained in communications, and her husband is a dentist. “We worked for big companies in Colombia, and we wanted to continue that freedom and lifestyle here in the States,” she says. After attending multiple business development seminars and classes in the United States, they launched Biomedent. “We saw a niche, and opportunity,” she says. Biomedent has been in business for 10 years, and does contract work with corporations and community organizations across Texas. The couple employs 10 full-time staff, all of them American.

“We really trust and believe that when you go to another culture, you have to do things in the right way, and you cannot break the law,” say Herazo, who was never in the United States without the proper paperwork. Still, she understands firsthand why people leave their countries, and thinks hard workers should have the same opportunity to thrive that she and her husband were given, even if they originally arrived illegally. “There are many people here that help the community and society grow, and they should have the chance to live freely,” she says. “And for the children who came here very young and are now attending school, we have to do something to help them. If you prove that you want to better this nation, you should be given the right to do it legally.”