Laura
The picture above is part of the beautiful scenery in Colombia, Cartagena.
Laura
Laura is a legal immigrant from Colombia who traveled to the US for the common saying, 'If you work hard, you can succeed here.' There, she lived a life of peace while enjoying the Colombian culture and going to school in the tropical weather. She would eat foods such as the Bandeja Paisa, a dish that consisted of a mix of white rice, red beans, shredded meats, etc.
However, one day Laura was told that she and her family were going to move to the the US. They decided to move there for the opportunity there, mainly in jobs. Even Laura herself was surprised, stating she didn't expect to move here. She traveled to the U.S by plane and it took her 9 hours for her and her family to arrive. However, her journey came at an expense. She said "Well, I had to leave behind my friends, my family, (cousins, not actual family) and my school." This meant that she was going to have to start over in the US.
Luckily, Laura's story was one of the less violent ones. When she arrived she experienced some racial assumptions. People would assume her race as Mexican a lot of the time. However, it wasn't that bad. Additionally, communicating with others was hard, due to her lack of English. But, her friendship helped her better adjust to school and the new environment. After getting better accustomed to the US, she began to like and learn the American culture , language, food, etc. One thing that she liked in the US is the 'people there'. "Things here in the US are very different," she said, "the way people react here, they are nicer." To this day, she continues to better her understanding of life in the US and her English. She attends Alvarado Intermediate and is in 7th grade.
About The Authors
Jocelyn Espinoza
I'm Jocelyn Espinoza 13 ½ years old and I go to Alvarado Intermediate School in 8th grade. When I grow up I want to become hopefully a homicide detective or a nurse. A goal I want to complete is to get in honor roll. I come from 2 parents that came her from mexico for a better future and to help their family from here and I know how it feels having to leave behind something that you love and cherish. I know how it feels because my mom left my older brother there at only 6 months old with my grandmother.
This project helped me answer the essential question by learning that they're different ways immigration shaped America in good and bad. Like for example President Trump said that immigrants only come here to sell drugs and start chaos but that's not all so true because some people like my mom she came here leaving everything behind in order to help support her family. The skills that I learned while working on this project was the writing and research portion. Some social skills I used was getting to work with other people instead of working with the same person. I also learned that not all immigrants came through walking the desert but other ways to get where they are today. Such as coming through planes, coming with a working visa or asking for asylum etc. I learned to always be open-hearted about tough topics instead of judging people.
Kyle Seshiki
I'm Kyle. Im 13 ( soon to be 14) and I go to Alvarado Intermediate School. This is my second year here , since i'm an 8th grader. I'm part of CJSF and Mathcounts Advanced, two afterschool activities. Aside from school, I'm the middle child and the only son. Some of the things I like include red (color) and dinosaurs. Overall, I hope that by the end of this year I'll be ready for what comes next.
This project has helped me in a variety of ways. First, my writing and organization skills were improved. Especially when I had to design our part of the webpage and had to write multiple paragraphs like our profile article, historical context paragraphs, and our interview notes. In terms of social skills, I had to learn how to interview and work as a team as efficient as possible. Lastly, it has also taught me the impact immigration has America. Millions of immigrants came to the U.S. and brought with them their cultures and ideas. Due to this, America has a wide variety of people and a wide variety of lifestyles and things from their culture. Statistically, they have helped the economy and are proven to be mostly legal. Overall, immigrants have made a great effect on society and should be appreciated.