I’M A Firm Believer That The Encounters And Experiences

As you may know, I am currently in my sophomore year at Wellesley College studying Peace and Justice Studies with a concentration in Community Development through Education and Policy. As my second year at Wellesley College nears its end, it is with a grateful and joy-filled heart that I write this letter.

I am a second generation Mexican-American and the last of seven children. My siblings and I were born and raised here in the United States with a mix of Mexican and American values. Our parents migrated to the U.S. at an early age in search of the American dream. Both my mother and father left their families in Mexico to start a better life for themselves and their future children.

My international background has shaped who I am today because of the influence of my Chinese immigrant parents. My parents never had an easy life. My parents, who lived in poverty in China, immigrated to the United States hoping for a better life and to pursue the American Dream. They immigrated to the Unites States with no money and no knowledge of the English language. The language barrier alone created a mass obstacle for their early life in America. My dad had once told me that at the age of 13 he was already cooking for his entire family while working to provide financial support for his parents and siblings.

My parents immigrated to the United States at a very young age. Having no higher education than elementary school, the only jobs they could find were working in the orchards. They would pick and thin apples during the summers, and prune trees during the cold winters. As soon as I was of working age, I would go out into the fields with them from early sunrise until the intense heat scorched our necks and faces. At a young age, I learned the harsh reality of what the daily life of an immigrant is. The long hours of hard work in the unforgiving heat of the sun; all for the low wages they were paid. These experiences in the orchard instilled in me a sense of drive to further my education and work hard to help families that were at a disadvantage as

I am a U.S. born citizen. My parents moved to the United States in 1984 without knowing anything about this country. Looking for a fresh start and new opportunities, my parents settled in Houston. With hardly knowing any English, my parents knew this was the place to make dreams become a reality. Luckily, I had older siblings to look up to whenever I needed help. Like Lahiri, I was trapped in between two different cultures while I was growing up. At home, I only spoke Spanish, but in school it was English. My habits and customs were different than others. Life as an immigrant’s offspring can be very difficult. As I grew older, I allowed myself to open my eyes and see the beauty of being an American from Hispanic descent.

As a child, growing up in a low income household has made me humble and attentive to other’s situations. Similarly, my South Asian family has instilled a strong nature to serve others, which is the reason I have been involved in service learning activities throughout my undergraduate career, such as LIFT – Chicago and Refugee One. Even post-graduation, my work at Wekaw caters to urban underserved populations. In graduate school, I wish to continue this involvement in campus organizations which enforce diversity inclusion, whether it is joining a volunteering club aiding community populations or conducting research with immigrants. This is one aspect of diversity I can contribute to Rosalind Franklin University, and is also why my professional goal is to work in a community hospital serving diverse populations.

The details on how my family arrived in America have been passed down by various members of my family. The accuracy and detail of these memories have diminished with every retelling. Some of my family arrived in America so long ago that all that remains of their experiences are rumors and stretched truths. As a story gets retold over and over it loses much of its accuracy. While much of my family history relies on this kind of storytelling, there are some in my family who were alive and experienced the challenges faced by immigrants. Though born in the United States, my maternal grandfather, Sebastian Passantino, was very familiar with the hardships of being an immigrant.

Working toward social justice for others has already begun for me. I know that being a graduate student with help hone and refine my skills as a clinical social worker. After I graduate, I have a long-term goal of working in community and hospital settings. I am especially interested in issues that relate to families.

Prior to being in graduate school I was not fully aware of all the opportunities and experiences in social work. I have since gained more knowledge of macro level opportunities in the field of social work, such as advocating for human rights, and social justice. I have also been presented with the chance to tackle tough policies that directly impacts clients that I have interacted with through my experience in social work. I plan to continue to identify weakness in various systems to promote social justice, and learn more ways to change social institutions to be more humane and

Wayne's M.S.W. graduate students undertake the task of improving, spreading, analyzing, and utilizing the information learned through courses and field work to better the lives of disadvantaged individuals, families, and communities. Through hands-on experience within vulnerable, oppressed, and poor societies, they develop social welfare policy for urban communities. By committing to an intense graduate program, I expect to broaden my skill set and expand my ability to assist those in need. My leadership skills have found me, time and time again, standing up for the rights of the underprivileged groups. I am creative and can often think of out-of-the-book solutions to social problems.

Being a second generation immigrant can be very difficult, trying to balance two cultures at the same time. It lead me to a bunch of questions about my identity and who I was ? It took me time to finally not be ashamed of being an immigrant, I wanted to cover up my roots.

When I was 4 years old, my mother decided to send me and my siblings to live with our grandparents in Honduras. I was born in Long Beach, CA, USA, however, my mother was struggling to give us a better life working as a housekeeper, and it wasn’t until I was 12 years old that we were reunited in New York. Nevertheless, my mother’s sacrifice to send my siblings and me to her country was indeed positive; hence, today am bilingual and have respect for diversity.

Ever since I can remember, I have grown up in a bi-lingual and bi-cultural environment. Having lived in Mexico City for the first 13 years of my life and holding dual citizenship, I learned at an early age to juggle between my Mexican-American cultures. Consequently, because of my background, I always knew that I wanted to dedicate my career in the international sector. On top of everything, my paternal side comes from Spain, whereas my maternal side comes from Poland. They were Jewish immigrants that fled during World War II in search for a better life for my grandfather. They eventually arrived in Mexico and that is how my family began their legacy in Mexico.

I’m an immigrant. I was born in Mexico and it was only until my parents decided to come to the United States that I am where I am. My mother tried to cross the border to come to the United States for the first time when I was still in her womb all by herself as my father was already in the Unites States working in order to provide for her in the way that he wasn’t able to do so by staying in Mexico. My mother was caught by immigration and was sent back. My mother was very disappointed because she knew that if she didn’t get me to the United States some way or another I wouldn’t get very far in life by staying in Mexico. My father returned back to Mexico when I was born and it wasn’t until I was 4 years old that they decided to try to cross the border once again. Although I was only 4 years old I remember the whole experience as if it was yesterday. The amount of fear of getting caught by immigration and having done everything for nothing was always in the back of my mind while going through the whole experience. Up to this day nothing has ever been as terrifying and nerve-wrecking as having to go through that whole experience especially for a 4 year old child but I will forever be grateful for the bravery and strength that my parents had to gather in

As the descendant of an immigrant father and his father before him, I’ve witnessed firsthand the means and consequences of trying to enter this country and become a citizen. The