Waterbury celebrates Cape Verdean Mayor for the Day on Friday NBC Connecticut [Video]

Jose David Almeida, 78, most commonly known as David, was born in Cape Verde in 1946.

“I love Cape Verdean, it is a beautiful island,” Jose David Almeida, of Waterbury, said.

Almeida came to Connecticut at the age of 15 like many others before him chasing the American dream.

“Because the United States is the land of opportunity, everybody wants to come here,” Almeida said.

Almeida knew from a young age that he wanted to work hard and earn an honest living. He held several manufacturing jobs and helped other Cape Verdeans enter the workforce.

Almeida said he always paid attention to detail on the job.

“If you show me the job, I watch every move you make, make sure I did the job right, that’s how I was,” Almeida said.

His path eventually led him to become a plater at Pratt & Whitney.

“I wouldn’t have 35 years at …