In 1999, while on vacation in Greenville, Ghisela Eljach fell in love with South Carolina.
“There was something about it I just loved,” she said. “I went back home and told my parents I wanted to move to the United States, and they looked at me and said, ‘What?’”
Originally from Barranquilla, Colombia, Eljach was studying to be a lawyer and had completed a year when she moved to Greenville in 2000.
“I was 19 years old, and of course that’s the age when I thought the world was mine — I could do anything,” she said.
Moving to a new country, however, was not only a culture shock but a wake-up call into adulthood.
“Suddenly I had to get up early, go to work, pay for groceries and bills, and I kept thinking ‘Why did I do this?” she said.
While she worked to get her feet underneath her, Eljach went through multiple job positions including packaging, factory work, retail and even a day care. And in 2000, she wanted to attend Greenville Tech.
“I remember applying and I realized I had nothing I needed,” she said. “I didn’t even know what a green card was.”
By 2003, she found a job as an office assistant and spent her days answering the phone, connecting with customers and placing orders. That’s when she believes her career really started. Through this position, she learned to speak English better, learned how to describe all the products to customers and went from receptionist to general manager. Throughout her multiple years there, she learned payroll, account management and more, learning as many facets of business as she could.
In 2015, Eljach knew she wanted to get back to her roots by working with the growing Hispanic community in Greenville.
“I didn’t feel like I had a publication to inform, entertain and connect me to other Latinos in the Upstate, so I decided I would make one.”
InSouth magazine was born to connect cultures and became the first bilingual publication in the Upstate.
“As an immigrant, it’s hard to start from zero,” Eljach said. “My heart is to help people who were like me at 19 years old who are starting with nothing. I know how that feels, and I want to help.”
Ultimately, Eljach’s passion lies in supporting people who walk in the shoes she used to fill.
“When you move to a new country and there’s a language barrier, simple things become so difficult. That’s why InSouth is so important to me: I’m finally giving people resources like what I needed when I first moved here.”
“I’m helping people learn what I didn’t know either,” she added. “That’s making a difference in my community.”
