Immigration has been a hot topic these past couple of months. The words said by the new presidential administration in respect to immigrants have not been all that positive, and have caused quite the uproar in families of immigrants, my family included. I want to shed some light on the world of immigrants. I want to help people understand the true beauty and amazing lessons I learn every day as the daughter of an immigrant. Here are some reasons I am so proud to be the daughter of an immigrant:
1. Immigrants are strong
My mother came to this country as a child to create a better life for herself and her family. She and her six siblings came from a third world country with very little money and had to go through hell and back just to achieve the “American Dream.” She continues to go above and beyond, especially as a mother, and to this day, she is still the strongest person I know. Because of her, I continue to push myself in every aspect, and I know to never take the easy way out of any decision.
2. Immigrants teach you to appreciate EVERYTHING in life (especially school)
My mother spent many years growing up in Haiti, where English is not the first language. When she came here, it was extremely hard for her to excel in school because of the intense language barrier. Ever since I can remember, whenever I would complain about homework or anything school-related, she would remind me how lucky I am to have school be so easily accessible. If my mom wasn’t an immigrant and hadn’t gone through such troubling experiences, I don’t think I would have the appreciation that I do for my education.
3. Family is the MOST important thing
What I’ve learned being the daughter of an immigrant is how family is always number one. No matter what mistakes I make in life, my mom will always tell me how proud she is of me. She will never make a promise she can’t keep and would give up just about everything to give me something I want. The sayings “I would take a bullet for you” and “I would go starving just so you could eat,” are said with a lot more meaning in my household, and I will forever be grateful of that.
I was able to ask some fellow Her Campus UConn writers that are the children of immigrants why they were proud to be. This is what a few of them had to say:
“I value being the daughter of immigrants because they have a unique story that is their own in regards to their travels to the U.S., and knowing the hardships they went through makes me want to fight harder in my own life to make them proud.” – Tiffany T.
“I value being the daughter of an immigrant because it gives me perspective and holds me to a higher standard than I would hold myself to, otherwise. My mom gave up so much so that my brothers and I could live in this country. It would be a shame to waste her sacrifices. Also, the sacrifice of living in a predominantly white community, and despite how uncomfortable it would have been or how much harder it was, she made the effort to teach my brother and I how to speak Spanish and to be proud of being something that isn’t white, even when the people around her were not encouraging of that, which shows so much strength.” – Jackie N.
“My parents are incredibly selfless and do whatever they can to give me and my brother the best life possible, which I’m extremely grateful for. Asian parents have the (pretty accurate) stereotype of being super strict, but it’s honestly because they just want their kids to be happy and successful.” – Ashna G.
“I value that my parents gave up living in the one place that they had known their whole lives to come somewhere completely different, all for the good of our family, and yet they still manage to keep my sisters and I completely in touch with our roots every single day.” – Juliana B.
“I’m proud to be the daughter of immigrants because my parents keep me humble. At times, we can get caught up in the littlest things and complain about them. That’s when I look to my parents who had to endure nothing but hardships and left everything they knew behind to come to America. Every day, they do the best they can for my brother and me. Even though I know they are struggling, they never don’t let us do anything. I’m proud because every day they show how proud they are of their heritage and who they are, which teaches me to be proud of it as well.” – Isha M.
“I value being the daughter of immigrants because both of my parents gave up the only home they’ve known to make sure that my brother and I got the best education possible. Every time I think about how hard school is or when I’m stressing about something, they remind me that temporary pain is worth it in the long run and that our family is made up of fighters who never give up when things get tough.” – Keyanna L.
“I’m proud to be the daughter of an immigrant because my mother taught me things I never would have learned from only one culture. She brought light and love into our home, and my brother and I would be very different people if it wasn’t for everything she gave up for us and continues to give us every day.” – Flannery M.
“I’m proud to be a daughter of immigrants because they taught me not only what hard work really is, but how important it is to be kind to others and help people out especially when they are going through the same struggle. My parents were one of the first families to migrate to the States and they helped a lot of my family members and friends settle into the U.S. They used to house so many relatives it was like a party every day. My dad especially taught me the meaning of hard work coming here and working at gas stations and Dunkin’ Donuts to pay for his master’s degree while he was in the program, then when he got a job, rose to higher positions to a point where he needed his MBA which he got from Wharton in UPenn. My parents are the two people who represent and personify being selfless and always opening their hearts and homes to anyone. Also, benefits of being a daughter of immigrants include: amazing food because mom’s Indian food is always the best, I’m multilingual, killer home remedies, being able to be a part of two cultures and celebrate it with pride.” – Anvita R.
So no, immigrants are not lazy, they do not take anyone’s jobs, and they should not go back to their country. Immigrants are the hardest working people you will ever meet, and to anyone who is the child of an immigrant, you should be extremely proud.