“A 98? Why not 100?”

“Teaching? Why not do something easier, like nursing?”

“When I was your age [insert overly dramatic story of childhood here]”

“Why can’t you be more like [more successful cousin]?”

Have you heard a statement like this before? Yes? Then you might be the child of immigrants. We listen to these and immediately groan at our parents’ seemingly outrageous demands and expectations. All parents expect their child to be successful and happy. Immigrant parents, however, have different expectations their children; their only hope and expectation is for their child to have a better life than they did.

My family and I moved to New York when I was still very young. My parents both worked odd jobs, sometimes two at a time, and almost always at inconvenient hours. I have seen my parents sacrifice time and leisure, just to give my brothers and I a better life. As a child I remember seeing all the parents picking their children up from school, while I either walked home alone, or waited for my brother. My naive mind was too upset with my parents for not picking me up to realize that they were hard at work, making anything they could.

My childhood was the polar opposite of my mother’s. While I have fond memories of playing with Barbie dolls and riding my bike, visiting museums and running around with my friends, my mother spent her childhood helping her mother on a farming estate, stopped going to school at the age of 12, and began working to support her family. She has wonderful memories of her childhood, playing with the many animals she owned (even getting attacked by a monkey) and enjoying a simple life along with her 15 brothers and sisters.

My brief story reigns true for many children of immigrants, whose parents sacrificed so much, and continue to do so, simply to allow their children to have a better life that they did.

In Aziz Ansari’s, Master of None, specifically episode two of the first season, the show flashes back to the hardships that his parents have faced in their homeland. Sometimes we take for granted the luxurious life we live, compared to our parents, where the only struggle we may have is getting to the movies on time, so we don’t miss the trivia at the beginning. Although we may get frustrated or annoyed with our parents, we have no idea what they have faced growing up.

The United States is a country of immigrants. Many people are first or second generation Americans with immigrant parents or grandparents. The vast majority of us here at Queens College are either children of immigrants, or immigrants ourselves. We’re so used to hearing America described as a “melting pot” of a plethora of different cultures, languages, traditions, and beliefs; but we all manage to live (somewhat) peacefully with each other. Many immigrants come to the United States with the hopes of amazing opportunities and the image of the “American Dream” in their minds. Unfortunately, when many of them first arrive, they are faced with the daunting task of having to assimilate to this new culture in order to keep up with the rest of society. They also realize that in order to achieve a mere ounce of that “American Dream,” that you’ve got to work hard.

Many people immigrate to the United States because it is a land of opportunity. Many also come here to escape deplorable conditions of their home country, high unemployment, inequality, and war.

As a senior in college, on the verge of becoming a contributing member of society, it is hard not to realize how I am shaped by my parents’ sacrifices and expectations. I am constantly wondering whether I am doing enough to make them proud. Many of us need to prove that we are indeed worth each and every sacrifice they have made. It is not an easy thing to measure, but the pressure is daunting. Our parents expect so much because they didn’t have half of the opportunities we do.

Our success as we achieve this “American Dream” is ultimately theirs.