ARCOLA, Ill. (WAND) : It's Hispanic Heritage Month and Arcola's very own first Latino mayor is breaking barriers. 

The city of Arcola made history by electing its first Latino mayor, Jesus Garza, back in April 2021. But his journey begins in 1993, when he and his wife, along with their 9-month-old son, traveled from Mexico to Arcola in search for a better life.

"We were looking for better living for our family," Garza said.  

When he first moved to Arcola, he worked for a factory.

"It was okay," he said. "In those times, it was paying only $3.75 an hour."

But his heart was with cars. He had studied to be a mechanic back in Mexico and wanted to fulfill his car-fixing dream in the United States. 

His father's friend helped get him into Lakeland College for English classes and then to Cincinnati, Ohio, for transmissions courses. In 2005, Garza opened his own auto shop.

While fixing cars, his family of three grew.

"Now, we have four - one boy and three girls - and now two grandkids, and the family keeps growing," he said. 

In 2020, Garza said he and his wife starting noticing Arcola was spiraling downhill. He said they started asking themselves, "what’s going on in Arcola? Why are businesses closing? I want something better for our community."

So, he ran for mayor. 

Garza said he had no idea he would be successful, but just wanted to give it a try.

"I was nervous because three people from town from USA versus one Hispanic American, it’s gonna be hard," he said.

Yet, as hard as campaigning was, Garza did it.

"We got it and I’m here," he said. 

The first two months as mayor were hard, Garza said, but his community was there to help.

"The guys in City Hall always help me, teach me the right way of doing things, I mean, it is awesome," he said.

With projects like remodeling parks and streets with over 20 volunteers by his side, he said everything is going according to plan. During the 2021 Broom Corn Festival in Arcola, Garza participated in the parade, where he said the support was overwhelming. 

"95% of people accepted and just thumbs up," Garza said. "Good job Jesus, they said."

He said it was tough to hold back emotions.

"I almost cried, I mean, I don’t have the right words to describe this feelings it’s just something different you know. I never though, people would react this way to me," he said. 

As Garza thinks of his Mexican roots, he said it's hard to describe his journey as he paves a path for himself and his family in Illinois.

"It’s gonna be hard to say what the feeling is, but I’m very, very happy doing this," Garza said. "The more I do it, the more I love to do it, to keep doing it."