Becoming An Immigrant

Mr. Board Chair... Colleagues and Friends. I am an immigrant. Three years ago, I recounted my story as an immigrant to this great nation, of how I became a successful family physician, and of the great sacrifices by my family and especially my father in helping me to get here. Today, again I stand before you. I 'd like to tell you my story as a digital immigrant. Yes. I am a digital immigrant and like most of you, I was not born with a silver iPad in front of my face. I was able to apply the same immigrant ethics to work and with optimism and resiliency, I am able to successfully adapt to this brave new digital world.

Hello reader, I’m about to tell you a story of some of my life. I am not normally one to volunteer details about myself, which I’ll remain somewhat reserved or completely leave some events out of this autobiography. Nonetheless, I believe I can still make my story interesting for the reader. I was born 1979, in Tampa, Florida; which, is also the same day my biological father decided to leave my mother and I. My mother isn’t a native Floridian, but had moved there with her family when she was still an infant, and had spent most of her life growing up in Florida. Needless to say, my father leaving was not an exciting time for my mother and I. Although she was employed Jimmy Cater was president and had taken the nation into

“Mom, will I ever be treated as a regular person? When will I be like the others without people look at me in a strange way and make fun of me, when mom? When?” Those were the questions I did to my mom almost every day after getting home from school. Fourteen years ago that my parents brought me to this country offering a better life with better opportunities than where I was born. I was seven years old when came to the United States, but I still remember the happiness I felt when I first step in this country. Throughout the years, I have realize that not everything is easy and simple as I imagined. My parents worked in the fields because of the lack of a social security and not knowing how to speak English. Many Americans do not know how hard it is the life of an immigrant, they should have a consideration for us and not just blame us for the deviance of the United States.

“Immigration” a controversial issue that argues two sides, the perspective of Americans and the reality of an immigrant. As a daughter of parents who migrated to the Unites States from El Salvador, I personally believe that immigrants are the correct side from what the Americans see or believe; however, just like anything else there will be two different sides; the good immigrants and the bad immigrants. For example, first, the US has immigrants with different types of crimes committed. Then, we have the issue of jobs with immigrants. Third, an additional issue is the cost of having immigrants that has many questions regarding the benefit. Last but not least, foreign language has been an accommodated at the United States and has been under

A important dilemma in my personal life is about my experience as a first generation immigrant in the United States. My parents take extra precaution to make sure I do not loose sight of where I came form and so, my parents drive to Mexico every year with my sister and I to see relatives who are living in conditions worse than ours so that we are grateful of our life in America. As I see my cousins and nieces/nephews grow up, I see realize that they have no real role model to look up to as no one has completed college when their parents exited high school and some not even that. So I want to help my family members to aspire to be something better in life and not a mailman or manual laborer like my father and uncles. I would like to instill

Humanity is ever so much more complicated than one could have ever imagined. Humans can thrive on change, but ultimately look for something to declare as home. In search of this home people travel long distances and risk everything they have. When an American contemplates the word immigrant, one imagines the countless people from Mexico crossing into our country or the refugees that hope to make this country their home. What eludes most of us, however, is the reality that most people were, at one point, immigrants to this country and that our forefathers came here exactly the same as refugees come today. What is brought to mind when I hear the word immigrant is hope and perseverance. I remember the countless people who have traveled here

It is not uncommon to hear one recount their latest family reunion or trip with their cousins, but being a first generation immigrant, I sacrificed the luxury of taking my relatives for granted for the security of building a life in America. My parents, my brother, and I are the only ones in my family who live in the United States, thus a trip to India to visit my extended family after 4 years was an exciting yet overwhelming experience. Throughout the trip, I felt like a stranger in the country where I was born as so many things were unfamiliar, but there were a few places that reminded me of my childhood.

Day in and day out many immigrants enter the United States of America in search of greener pastures. This greener pasture includes higher educational prospects and lucrative jobs. However, life usually does not turn out as many of them usually anticipate. The expectation they usually have prior to their entry to the United States is partly due to the all rosary and nice things they hear about America. They hear such nice things from the media and also from diaspora’s who return from America to their homeland who usually don’t share their entire experiences with them. There have been quite a number of reports and research findings that outline the various challenges that are faced by immigrants in America. I personally share some of these issues as an international student in a foreign country. Prior to coming to Metropolitan State University, I had colleagues who told me about the school and their excellent environments that facilitate learning. Also other friends who were in America made me aware of the opportunity to work alongside schooling which made me more interested as I needed financial aid. With all these palatable information in mind, I did apply for the school and even though the tuition fee was quite expensive considering my socio economic background, I did apply having the mindset of working to meet up certain financial needs. Upon arrival in America, I realized that I was given a fraction of the entire picture. I wasn't allowed to work outside of campus,

Being a descendant of a veteran makes me proud of my family and its history and hardwork and dedication. Makes me proud of my country and where I come from. Helps me have a better appreciation for those who fight for our country. Makes me thankful that they give up so much like being with their family, sleep and being able to come home and take days off of work, so that I can sleep at night peacefully in my bed without having to worry about what is going on outside my house. It means putting trust in my country and everything that it stands for. It means saying that Pledge Allegiance with meaning and understanding on the words that I am saying. Sitting there at the table listening to stories they share about what they have been through, being able to vividly see

She works a 8-10 shift, comes home to a family of 5, and always teaches us good lessons. She has raised us and Will continue to do So "You held to get good grades, don't get Played by boys, and always help others even it they did wrong. And never keep hate in your heart." words I've grown up with. those are the words of my mother. Coming home tired every day was her, but I never seemed to care. My mom, 45, is a thin yet Strong-willed woman. whenever she returns home from a long clay of work, she always asks for Massages And I ALWAYS complain. "Ugh, Why do I have to do this?" Or "What do I get in return?" Were my answers. Looking back at it I regret it when I was the one to complain and not my mom. I'm the one who sits at home all day and does

I am who I am today because of my parents, first my dad worked so hard in order to be able to pay to get our papers and be able to legally come into the country. The immigration process took more than 10 years. We were only able to see my dad once a year because he was here working and saving up to bring the family together. In July of 1998 just 3 months before I was born my sister Elena passed away before being able to come into the country, she waited for so long to reunite with my dad and it didn't happen she left before her dream came into reality. When my family was finally able to reunite we made the most of it we enjoyed every second with each other. When I entered school I was known for the Mexican girl who didn't know English however

Immigrating to the United States is not an easy task, but if you make it to the United States you will most likely have a better paying job then you did back home. When immigrating to the United States, there are two different ways that it can be done, either coming legally or illegally. No matter how you get to the United States, everyone has one goal in mind, which is getting a job and being successful. Americans assume that immigrants are coming to the United States to bring drugs, commit crimes, and take jobs from “hard working Americans”. Workagrating is essentially the people who come to the United States to work and build a better life for themselves and their families.

If I came to the U.S as a child and found out I was never an American citizen when I turned 18, I would do everything in my power to try to get my citizenship. Following the devastating news, I would feel betrayed and unwanted. I would also feel as if I have nobody to turn to since all my friends wouldn't be able to relate because they are naturally born citizens. However, I would still attempt to go to college and get a profession. I have always felt that the best way to gain the respect of others is to be well educated and have a professional career. The DREAM Act would be a reform that would help me in this situation because it would allow me to continue my education without fear of deportation. Especially since I would have been less than the age of 16 when I got to the United States and have graduated high school, which are requirements of the DREAM Act. Although, current immigration debates would possibly make my search for a profession tough because the DREAM Act doesn't guarantee citizenship (Module 3, p.11). Thus, many jobs prefer a potential candidate for a job to have a United States citizenship.

As an immigrant from another country, I personally would agree with the fact that there are two sides of me. Spending half of my life in the Philippines and the other half in the United States, my family, home, and community in both of these countries has shaped my life equally. These two different environments definitely clash at times, but they also share many similarities. Very early in my life, my parents had to work overseas in Saudi Arabia and left me and my sister in the Philippines with my grandmother, aunt and uncle, and their children. For this reason, I did not have a normal relationship with my parents for the first half of my life. It’s not that they never visited or not love me, but it was difficult for my 3 or 4-year-old self

You are destined to be just like your mother and father. To some people, that doesn't seem too bad, especially if you come from a wealthy family, but what if that wasn't the case? What if your mother and father struggled to put food on the table for you and your siblings? You wouldn't want to be like them. You would want to be better than them and if you were a parent, you would want a better life for you and your children. Some people choose to pursue better opportunities and a better life elsewhere. These opportunities aren't always in their home countries. The problem is that some countries don't welcome these opportunists. Sometimes once these migrants' enter a country, they are held back from making a living for themselves. People should