Today marks 17 years since my family immigrated to America. Since then, two of my sisters have become doctors, my other sister has become an electrical engineer, my brother has become a software engineer, and I have become... whatever I am.

I am grateful to be here.

We often overlook how much immigrant parents sacrifice. @Bosefina said it best:

"My parents were tasked with the job of survival and I with self-actualization. The immigrant generational gap is real. What a luxury it is to search for purpose, meaning, and fulfillment."

I should clarify one more thing:

The American Dream means different things to different people. To my family, it meant education, and we were privileged to pursue it. To other families, it could mean safety or security or stability. Too often do we measure immigrants by (cont.)

professional accomplishments or higher education or by “what they bring to the table” as if those things define a human being. Many immigrants come to America, work hard, and obey the law, but may not have the same professional accomplishments as others. (cont.)

Their American Dream just looks a little different. Their worth is no less. And there is no such thing as a lesser person.