What my Chinese heritage taught me about life, college, and America

There are days spent hold up in my room, scrambling to finish the last assignment that is due before midnight. It’s probably really difficult to truly understand another person’s situation. Looking back at my short life, I could not tell you I had a difficult life. When I complain about my problems, I find that, at times, I am ungrateful. I’m sure there are tons of people out there who are in college who definitely have it worse than I do.

My dad came to America in the 1980s from China, with his family. My great grandfather arrived in America a decade earlier. They did not speak a lick of English. My dad attended Polytech (currently known as NYU Tandon School of Engineering) as an Electrical Engineering major. To support his education, my grandparents put in a few dollars that they earned from their odd jobs that did not pay very much; for example, sewing in a factory and cooking at a Chinese restaurant. My dad worked as a takeout delivery man to support his education. To save some money here and there, my dad always packed leftovers from dinner so he could eat it for lunch.

My mom and I went to the caves in Washington D.C.

My mom came to America at the age of 17. While she attended college for a few months, she later took a leave of absence in order to support her four younger siblings. She was the eldest child in her family so she assumed the role of being a breadwinner. When I am annoyed by her, I would end up correcting her English. As the immature child that I was, I would never want to be near students who struggled speaking English. My mom could sometimes be that person that I did not want to be near. She worked in a clothing factory. Nowadays, she is a seamstress who makes wedding dresses between the Vera Wang store and a local Jewish bridal shop.

My mom and grandmother worked in this factory.

Recently, my dad asked me about where I saw myself in a year. Before arriving in college, I had mentioned I would transfer out in a year or two. He said go wherever you want, the cost should never be an issue for you. While we are financially stable, it is hard to take someone’s earnings, even my own parent’s salary to support my education. When I think about that, it’s simple: I don’t deserve any of that because they’re putting so much work into their jobs while there are days that I slack off and decide not to study or miss out on lectures. It’s almost as though they had built up all the foundation for success so I thought my life was easy. I know I don’t always say it, but thanks, mom and dad.