My father was born in Shanghai, China, in 1965, a year before the Cultural Revolution began. Because of this, his elementary schooling was less than ideal, since all government institutions, including the education system, were completely dysfunctional at the time. In 1976, the Cultural Revolution came to an end following the death of Mao Zedong. By 1978, the government institutions began returning to normal, allowing my dad to test into a specialized high school, rather than being forced to go to his local school like he was for middle school. After that, he went to and graduated from the Wu Xi Institute of Industry in 1986, where he received this diploma. From there, he decided to come to America for a better life. He tells me that this diploma showed to the American government that he was a full time student, which allowed him to come to this country and go on to earn two Master’s here in America. But more importantly, his journey to earning this diploma from China gave him many of the life skills, discipline, and grit he needed to be able to succeed in the United States. 

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant