By Nadia Rivas
Immigration is all around us. And no, it’s not just on CBS News; we can find immigration all over the world, each with its own unique stories to tell. There are approximately 51.9 to 53.3 million immigrants in the U.S., which makes up 15.4% to 15% of the population, meaning a majority of the people you may know are immigrants or have family members who have immigrated. The best thing about Westmont is the diversity in people; so many Westmont families have a history of immigration, and that’s what makes this school and the U.S. so great. They don’t just come from one singular place in the country; they come from all over!!! These are some students at Westmont whose families have immigrated or have a history of immigration.
I’ll start off with me…
Nadia Rivas:
My family immigrated from Mexico to the United States, and my great-grandmother came from Spain to Mexico.
Paloma Rose:
My mom’s family ran over here to the United States quickly to give birth to my mother, but my mom and grandmother came from Mexico to the U.S.
Jaden Kanazawa
My great-grandparents immigrated from Japan to the U.S.
Sofi Ramirez
“My grandparents and my parents are from Peru and immigrated to the United States.”
Karen Felipe
“My great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents are from Mexico.”
Shelby Skavdahl
My mom’s side is from Mexico and Spain, and my dad‘s side is from Eastern Europe.
Katie love
My great-grandparents came from Italy, and my grandparents and parents were born here.
Despite our family coming from different countries, we are all still amazing people with goals and dreams, just like every other family that has migrated from another country to the United States. So, whether you want to listen to the media categorizing immigrants as criminals, you can, but you can also open your eyes to your peers whose families have a history of migration, and you wouldn’t know it because that doesn’t define them and certainly doesn’t make them criminals. Westmont is just one of the millions of places in the United States where you can meet people whose families have a history of immigration, and that is what truly makes this country so remarkable.