At the age of 20 around 1977, my mother left her homeland of Guayaquil, Ecuador with her parents and 4 siblings to come to New York, for new opportunities and the American dream. In Ecuador my mother didn’t really get to have a great education she came from a large family that were more or less poor. She went to a small female only Catholic school that was taught by nuns. The nuns would teach the small girls from the age of 9 how to iron and sew clothing. My mother has kept this school photograph for over 50 years of the nun teaching her classmates these skills. When my mother reach the United States she came with barely nothing and had to look for a job to help support her whole family. She didn’t get to continue her education and drop out after finishing 4th grade back in her homeland. She worked for a small immigrant union that provided immigrants full time jobs making women and kids clothing. Unlike my grandparents that had 6 kids my mom only had me and provide me with everything she didn’t have. This picture reminds me just how far my mother has accomplish and the things she had to go through back in Ecuador to support her parents.  

– Kat V

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