•  Year of immigration: 2003
  •  Age at the time: 16
  •  Grade at the time: 
  • Current Grade (if in college, provide year): grad school
  • Where did you live when you originally came to the US? Brooklyn
  • If you moved, where do you live now? (if not, go on to next question)
  • What school did you attend back in your home country? High school (college international)
  • Why did you move to the U.S.? How would you describe your feelings at the time towards having to move? How do you feel looking back at it now?

I was upset didn’t want to leave my friends. Feel like if I was back home my life would have been different I would have achieved more personally.

  •  Who were you accompanied by when you moved? (Parents, siblings, etc.)

Moved by myself to live with my mom who was already here

  • On a scale of 1-10, how hard would you say it was having to adapt to a new country/environment: 7
  •  Please describe your pathway to adaption. (Learning a new language, attending a new school, etc.) Do you recall a particular experience or challenge that sticks with you to this day?

Leaving my friends behind and having to attend just one year of high school here. Had a hard time adapting and felt like it was unnecessary. The hardest part was the school and class size. Way more students than I was used to.

  • Would you say you still feel connected to your home country? In other words, do you still maintain any links or stay informed on what goes on? Why or why not?

No I don’t feel connected to it. Most of my family is here and I live in a neighborhood that is filled with most of the things that I would find back home.

  •  What are some common public misconceptions/sterotypes you hear about your home country and its people?

That we’re way too prideful people.

  • Would you say you look to identify more with the larger black American community or maintain a strong ethnic identity? Please provide ample reasoning as to why. For instance, public misconceptions about one’s home country may lead to them being “embarrassed” to embrace their ethnicity, leading them to identify more with black Americans.

I feel like I have a strong ethnic identity. I just never felt like I identified with black American.

  • If you answered that you still maintain a strong ethnic identity, what do you then appeal to in order to separate yourself from the larger black American community? In other words, what do you think separates you from the larger black American community? 

I still have a strong link to my ethnic identity. Like I said I live in a neighborhood predominantly made up of my ethnic group. Most speak my native language. So I’ve always identified as a Caribbean American

  •  In your opinion, why do some immigrant children attain success when they move while some others do not? How would you qualify your own success in your new environment? What do you attribute to your success or maybe some struggles you’ve faced?

I think it’s all about the individual and their goals and aspirations. I think it all depends on the struggle they were running from back home and whether they were struggling. As sometimes struggle creates a drive. I wouldn’t say I’m successful but I am constantly striving to be and pushing myself. I just never let myself forget that I am black and that I am an immigrant so these two forces always push me to do better.