As my grandmother remarked, “The United States passport is a passport to the entire world.” Latinos recognize the United States as a land of opportunity, and its passport as a key that opens doors to the whole world and the endless opportunities within it. That key was the most valuable gift I have ever received, and it took the struggle and sacrifice of multiple generations to give me the life I was so fortunate to be endowed with.This metaphorical key and the opportunities it provides were not available for my father when he was born. My grandmother spent her whole life trying to get her family to the United States. After 35 years she was finally able to get a U.S. residency for my dad, allowing him to move to New York in search of a better life. He had distant relatives in Queens, and when he got here he told them his dream of being an engineer, which was what he studied back home. They told him that jobs like that were not realistic for an immigrant like himself and he should be an electrician. He was undeterred and remained determined on being an engineer. Despite family members calling him crazy, he dreamed greatly because to him the only failure would’ve been giving up on his dream. After watching his mother struggle her whole life for him to have a better life than she did, he promised himself he would never settle or take those opportunities for granted.
 

– Adrian Erazo

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant