“I’ve heard many stories from my grandparents about growing up back in China; they were poor, and life was very hard for them. My grandmother talks about how the Japanese invaded her village and about how --- because of everything happening during the war --- she couldn’t always make it the several miles to school. After she and my grandfather married, they moved to the United States, and my mom and her sisters were born here. My dad is an immigrant from China too. He was 4 or 5 years old when he and his family came to the United States to try to make a better life for themselves. It was hard to learn English so quickly, and many things were different here than in Asia, so it was a culture shock for them.
“I love Asian culture, especially the food. It’s different from any other food in the world. My dad’s a chef --- his parents owned a restaurant --- and my mom’s parents own a grocery store, so food has always been an important part of our family life. We just celebrated the Chinese New Year a few days ago. It’s a big deal for us. We went out to eat. We made dumplings.
“Having that family history has definitely given me a very different perspective and has made me want to help other immigrants. I graduated from UT Knox and am now with AmeriCorps VISTA as the program coordinator for CAMINOS, the mentoring program of Latino Memphis.”
“I love Asian culture, especially the food. It’s different from any other food in the world. My dad’s a chef --- his parents owned a restaurant --- and my mom’s parents own a grocery store, so food has always been an important part of our family life. We just celebrated the Chinese New Year a few days ago. It’s a big deal for us. We went out to eat. We made dumplings.
“Having that family history has definitely given me a very different perspective and has made me want to help other immigrants. I graduated from UT Knox and am now with AmeriCorps VISTA as the program coordinator for CAMINOS, the mentoring program of Latino Memphis.”
With Academic Director Jennifer Rodriguez of Latino Memphis:
Margaux Joe, CAMINOS Program Coordinator, Latino Memphis
From the Latino Memphis CAMINOS page:
"The CAMINOS Mentor Program aims to empower Latino high school students in the Memphis area by connecting them with positive adult role models who help to cultivate their talents so students can become civically engaged and achieve success in their college or career goals."
From the Latino Memphis CAMINOS page:
"The CAMINOS Mentor Program aims to empower Latino high school students in the Memphis area by connecting them with positive adult role models who help to cultivate their talents so students can become civically engaged and achieve success in their college or career goals."
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