Gabriella Roman
It’s hard to believe that in America, a country founded by immigrants, new-comers are still struggling to integrate successfully into American society. My parents, like many other immigrants, were faced with a number of struggles upon arriving in America: a new language, new culture, and new endeavors, [on top of finding work]. Growing up in this environment, I became aware of how weak English skills can serve as a barrier to separate immigrants from American society. The immediate struggle immigrants face is to provide for their families- have to juggle integrating into american society (learning language, etc.) while having a steady income impact that poor language skills can have on an individual’s adapting to a new [community]. Because of their unfamiliarity with the local language, immigrants often feel alienated within their communities and become uneasy about voicing their opinions, resulting in a compliant attitude that is often misinterpreted by Americans as ignorance. As a first-generation immigrant, I want to combat this issue and become an advocate for outspokenness among minorities.
The immediate struggle immigrants face when arriving in a new country is assimilating into the local community, which can be attributed mainly to weak skills in the local language. It is not uncommon for immigrants to arrive in
…show more content…
In the tenth grade, I approached a girl from Uzbekistan who avoided approaching other students. Out of my natural curiosity to learn about other cultures, I was eager to become friends. As she taught me about her country, I helped her with her English and encouraged her to speak up more and to participate in more activities. Now that her English is more fluent, I am proud to see her taking part in every theater production our school puts on, and to watch her overcome her initial