College Diploma

Group:
My mother's college diploma
My mother's college diploma
Story pending

My grandmother came to the U.S. legally by plane. She heard about the american dream from her cousins and other family members and wanted to see for herself. She got a job as a cashier at a grocery store and soon started her journey towards the American Dream. She got an apartment in Brooklyn and became pregnant. My grandmother was considering getting an abortion at the time because she didn’t know if she was able to raise a child all on her own. Due to her religious beliefs, in the end, she felt like it wasn’t right. My mother was born as an official resident of the United States. Since my grandmother was always working, my mom was usually with her other cousins playing with them. My grandmother expected my mom to be the very best, since she now had the opportunity for it, something she didn’t: An education. My mom went to school, and she was usually on the honor roll. Her mother was proud because she knew that my mother could do it. Soon, my grandmother had another baby, a boy. Suddenly, my mom’s life changed, because it was no longer about her, but she now had a brother. She took care of him since her mom was always working. Later on, she graduated high school and then college, and was the first in my family to get both.

Place(s): New York
Year: 1978

– Kiandra R.

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant