"But why do you do this? What do you get from it?" Abdula asked, talking slowly as she translated the questions in her head. Her quiet words, and inquiring face watched as I tried to find a good answer. I knew how much this experience gave me, but selfishness suddenly sank I and I wondered what I was doing for her. All seniors at my school are required to leave school for an hour and half and do some form of service. At the beginning of the year, I looked over the long list of choices and decided to tutor adult immigrants. My nervousness of the strange dynamic of teaching people older than me who didn't speak English was overpowered by my interest in other cultures. So, the first day of service came, and I drove to north Minneapolis with four other students working at …show more content…
This experience, for me, is completely unmatched in value. Understanding the needs of immigrants and people around the world is crucial for my own education. Her question made me feel selfish though. I was sent to help immigrants as a learning experience for myself, service that was suppose to help others was really just about me. Why should these immigrants, who so desperately needed education, have to rely on a untrained teenager just so I could learn from them. I stumbled out an answer to her question, but it stuck with me. I slowly came to the conclusion that just because I was sent there to learn, doesn't mean I can't also help. If I've learned anything during my time there, it's that many of my students just want to be heard. Once they start talking about there life, it's hard for them to stop. Especially in the current climate surrounding the issue of immigration, I can only imagine the hostility and fear they have encountered by Americans. I can't do much to help them, however, I can listen, and as I learn about them, maybe make them feel more welcomed in a country that doesn't always accept them with open
I remember the first time I came to America; I was 10 years old. Everything was exciting! From getting into an airplane, to viewing magnificent, huge buildings from a bird’s eye view in the plane. It was truly memorable. After staying few days at my mother’s house, my father and I wanted to see what Dallas looks like. But because my mother was working the whole day, it wasn’t convenient for her to show us the area except only on Sundays. Finally, we went out to the nearby mall with my mother. My father and I were astonished after looking at a variety of stores. But after looking at different stores, we were finally tired and hungry, so we went into McDonald’s. Not being familiar with fast food restaurants, we were curious to try American
I am an chinese and mexican american. You might think those are the best mixes of race you can get but you are truly wrong? Growing up in a small farm town in the outskirts of San Diego I truly wish I was white like the rest of the kids at my school. For the hardships I have faced with race discrimination I am truly ashamed of being the color and human genetics I have.
Being a Hispanic have impacted all my entire life; I lived 15 years of my life in Mexico I love being there because most part of my family live in Nuevo Laredo, I was cursing my last months of 8th grade and one day my mom told me that she was thinking about send me here to the U.S to start learn English; since I’m a U.S citizen and I didn't know the language of my country, I accepted. The most hard prove was live without having my mom at my side, since I live with my aunt now; when the days passed here in the U.S I started to depressed myself because I missed so much my house and all my family, one day in the middle of the night I call my mom crying and I told her that I really want go back to Mexico, but she didn’t take into account my desire my mom just explained me that it will be the best for my future and with the time I will be thankful with her for don’t let me go back. My mom, and my grandmother are the ones who motivates me to be a better student. Actually I’m in dual enrollment and I have taken AP classes; sometimes is hard for me talk, read or write in another language that the one I was accustomed but, every time I fail I get up and persist until I’m able to do what I want.
I grew up with people who helped for a living. My mom’s job was helping girls that had got themselves into trouble and needed help, that is when I learned as a toddler, that helping is what I wanted to do. I soon got into elementary school and I was a big helper. I still am. Last year I was in Mrs. Harkabus’ class and had the greatest opportunity
As a non-academic pursuit, I have volunteered at a Vera Davis community family source center for nearly four years. Volunteering at this facility has helped me develop critical thinking skills, as well as social and professional skills. Within this center I have the responsibility to provide free resources to people in need. For example, free food giveaway, distribution of bus tokens, computer services, taxes, and tutoring for children K-12. Throughout my experience at Vera Davis I learned uncountable values and boundaries that transforms socialization to a different level. I enjoy being around people because they make me feel alive, but most importantly because I know that by helping them I am improving as a person. Vera Davis evoked a deep
Therefore, observing at the Roosevelt Middle School was something completely new to me. The classrooms were full of diverse students. There were students from many different religions and races in every classroom that I observed. The aide that was in the classroom worked with the ELL students who could not speak English at all or who could barely speak English. She worked on teaching them the English language as well as some of the activities done in class. I did not really get to work with these students sd I often stayed back in the classroom and helped the other students do their activities in there. I would have liked to have worked with the ELL students and get to experience what it is like to help these students with their education. Unless I get to observe at another culturally diverse school, I probably will not get to experience working with these
At a young age I have faced many strenuous challenges that molded me into the person I am today. When moving to America with my mother, she left her family behind her in order for me to gain a better life that I would not be able to have in Vietnam. Coming to America as immigrants, with no knowledge of the culture or language, was a complete culture shock for us. It was inevitable that my mother and I would run into problems as we try to assimilate.
I am Mexican-American. It took me years to finally be able to say that with a sincere feeling of pride. Both of my parents were born in Mexico and moved here before they had a chance to attend college, so my entire life I’ve been exposed to both Mexican culture and American culture. Instead of seeing my multi-cultured world as unique and special, I saw it as a sort of disadvantage, but as time went on and I became more educated on the successes of Mexican-Americans, I had a newfound understanding and appreciation of the culture which consequentially influenced my future aspirations.
As an only child, born to immigrant parents from Peru, my upbringing was vastly different from many of my friends and peers. My parents are not English speakers, they are not college graduates and they do not work in a corporate environment. Unable to relate to their life guidance since their experiences were not similar to my future, from the onset, I had to quickly learn to be self-reliant by developing a determination within me to overcome obstacles others normally wouldn’t encounter.
I can to America when I was 6 months old and lived my whole life here, but I do visit my country which is Turkey from time to time. Like everyone else who comes to America, we also came for a better life. I have two sisters and two brothers. When we came to America my brothers went to school and my sisters didn’t. They didn’t go to school here, because back then in our country girls didn’t go to school. They would stay home and help around the house. Boys would go to school and then became the money making of the house. So in my family like I have said my sisters didn’t go to school and worked in factories. So my brothers did, but one of them dropped out of high school to work and the other only finished high school and went straight to work.
As an immigrant you cannot expect everything to be right in front of you. You have to work hard and achieve what you want. My whole family came here to the United States to seek a better lifestyle. Being an immigrant, and a child of immigrants is not easy. You are stepping into a whole new world, where the people and language is unknown. Every question you answer with a yes or a no. As you live on, you began to fit into the new lifestyles. But, life was not easy when we first came here. My family struggled to find a job and a house that we can possibly afford. My family tried to not focus on those issues, instead decided to focus more on education opportunities.
Being the only immigrant child opens the door to a lot of name calling in your family. I have always thought of myself as an American. So it annoyed me a little bit when my my sister or brother called me an immigrant. But it’s ironic because aren't I actually an immigrant myself? The one who came to America from Sri Lanka at nine months old with no papers. Went through extra security in airports because I wasn't yet a citizen. Always had to not only remember my social security but my green card as well . So why do I get frustrated when people label me as an immigrant, when the true matter is that I literally am one. Throughout my life these thoughts continuously go through my head and is still a working progress in which I am trying to figure out what I want to be, and what I’m actually am.
It was just a normal day. I was living at home with only me, John, and my mom. My dad had died trying to protect the village from a wild animal from the forest. My mom wanted me to go to the market and get some food. So I did. As I made it to the market I could see all of the things being traded. I went to were the food was being traded and traded some stuff for some food. As returned home I noticed a couple of strange voices I didn’t notice. I walked into the house. It got dead silent. Then all last I heard were gunshots until everything went black.
As a child of an immigrant made me stand out in class. At first I had a hard time communicating with the
...h to work with children in elementary level classroom; I helped them to be prepared for a special dancing and singing mixed event in the other side of a church. I enjoyed working in the classroom at this church, but I never thought to become a clergy, a priest or a religion-related worker because I am not really religious person. In the mean time, this community service did not help me to choose a career and explore skills and interests. However, some people would feel do not want to volunteer because they do not see what is the point of it when it has nothing to do with their plans. I concede a community service for a career exploration, but this should not be a requirement for graduation because it is unfair to people who have career plans.