The object that I decided to bring in is a photo album that my mom was able to get before her house burnt down in the Philippines. My mom and her family loved taking photos because it was a way to remember things that happened in the past. This was all that was left in the fire so it is very important in our family. My mom kept this and brought it to America to have a piece of home with her. My mom moved to America to seek a better education when she was 15 years old. She stayed with her aunt in Maryland, went to high school there then moved to New Jersey for college. She was able to learn a lot about the American culture and it eventually became normal to her. While pursuing her education here she was able to finish her degree in nursing, fall in love, create a family, and keeping her culture as her core. She plans on passing it down to me and my siblings once we’re old enough to have it as a reminder of how far you can get if you put in the hard work. It connects to my family because it reminds us where we come from and how much we’ve accomplished to get this far looking back. It means that you don’t have to live here your whole life to be American. You can take something from your culture and incorporate it into your life in America. It shows that you can always look back at something to tie yourself back to your roots. After much hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance, my family became the first generation to be successful in America. My family’s story connects to the rise of immigration during the 1990s.

– ES

Relationship:  Im/migrant who arrived as a child Im/migrant who arrived as a child