This photo shows my mom, who is the third woman from the left, at her first job as a nurse in the United States. My mom immigrated to New York from the Philippines when she was 26 years old. An agency from the United States was looking for nurses in the Philippines and my mom decided to take the chance to emigrate. Some key factors that led my mom to immigrate were quality of life and job growth. My mom worked as a nurse for the past three years after graduating but didn’t earn that much money as a result of the country’s corruption and economic instability. She was the eldest of four sisters and the second to leave her family of six. Coming to the United States gave her a chance to fulfill her dreams of economic stability and personal freedoms. I think the photo symbolizes a sense of hope. When she first came to New York, she faced a lot of challenges like homesickness and self-doubts but being a nurse kept her grounded and left her with a sense of purpose. Her first job also created long lasting friendships as she still talks to the people in this photo over 20 years later and I even look up to them as my second mom. Since living in New York for 25 years, my mom is able to financially support her relatives back home in the Philippines and become a backbone to other Filipino women emigrating for a better life. 

– IG

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