Often times, we as people intentionally or inadvertently, forget that who we are is a culmination of our family’s and ancestor’s roots. Each and everyone one has a heritage that is unique.  Whether or not someone chooses to embrace their culture and make it part of their identity, is the decision of that individual. Nonetheless, I personally believe that it is important to look back at our origins to use them as valuable resources of the past and maybe even employ them as forms of guidance. I am proud of not only who I am and the culture that I represent, but also of my nuclear and extended families past and the cultures that they represent.

In many ways, the grandparent generation of my family has influenced my values and how I characterize myself. Grandparents on my mother’s side are of Christian Russian Orthodox descent and grandparents of my father’s side are of Jewish Russian descent. All of my grandparents were raised with a great determination to accomplish the most in their lives and most of all being able to provide for their family’s needs. Fortunately, three of the four of my grandparents were able to attend college in Russia, with degrees ranging from accounting to library science to engineering. They all had jobs from very young ages. My maternal grandfather, who did not attend college, worked all of his life since the age of 14. Both of my grandfather’s were awarded medals for their many years of commitment in the workforce and dedication to labor. My grandparents were always working for pay. The money that they made went exclusively into supporting their parents, siblings, and eventually children. They lived through the war times. During World War II, they were children. They witnessed and experienced first hand the harsh realities of war: deaths, injuries, diseases, famine, destruction. Their lives were completely disrupted and in some way halted by the four years that the war lasted. They survived. Whatever hardships they may have encountered after that seem to be surmountable. That idea was instilled into my parent’s generation with great emphasis. The phrase “at least there is no war” was used a lot. The grandparent’s generation of my family can be summarized by a common motif: survival and hard work.

As is the case of many other families, I feel that my parents are the people I know most about, am closely connected with, and influenced by in the most direct and profound way. My parents took the concept of hard work pays off to a higher level. My mother attended and graduated college in Russia in pursuit of a Bachelor degree in accounting. My father studied in Russia for a Bachelor degree in computer science and communications. Although college education, at the time, in Russia, was free, my parents were faced with a competitive environment unlike any other. They still recount to me the arduous and demanding preparation they went through to pass the entrance exams. Afterwards, they had an opportunity to move to America in hopes of providing a better life for their future children. They emigrated to a new country having very little to start them off. Despite having college degrees, their first jobs as new immigrants were serving as busboy and cashier in a restaurant business. Once they had begun assimilating, my mother pursued a bachelor degree in nursing at Hunter college, while my father took graduate courses in computer science at New York University. When in school, my mother worked part time as a bank teller. After graduating magna cum laude with BS in Nursing and working as an RN for a year, my mother decided to pursue another career and went back to Hunter College to study pre-med. At the same time, she was raising her first child, me. To an even greater extent than my grandparents, my parents needed to work for pay as they were settling in a new country striving to become professionals, all while trying to start and raise a family of their own. After taking premed courses and having a second child (my younger brother) my mom started her studies at medical school in Buffalo. Much of the pressure and responsibility of supporting my mother’s educational endeavors and providing a fair environment for the children fell on my father. As a result, he worked multiple jobs. His primary job was working as the Senior Systems Analyst for a financial company. He also held a part-time job as a driver on the weekends. After finishing medical school, my mother begun a residency in North Shore University Hospital on Long Island. All of the determination and resolve my parents put into their education and jobs made it possible for them to realize the positions they have today: physician and software developer.

As a first generation American, representing my parents, grandparents, and beyond, acting as a role model for my younger brother, all while trying to find my own place in society, I definitely feel a heavy burden of responsibility, accountability, and obligation. My parent’s and grandparent’s higher education has provided me with a greater understanding and insight into what it takes to be a professional. However, this knowledge is a double-edged-sword, because with it comes a sense of expectation. I feel that I need to live up to my parent’s accomplishments and sacrifices that they made, by following my own rigorous education and subsequent specialized profession. I feel very lucky to have an exposure to starting a career watching my mother go through each individual step. Furthermore, seeing my parent’s happiness and devotion to their work, I feel that I have come to understand the value of success and accomplishment.

As a commuter to Brooklyn College, I find myself connecting with a variety of communities. First and foremost, I still find myself involved in the Long Island community whether through alumni events at high school, volunteer work, or hanging out with old friends. The new community that I am embracing now is that of Brooklyn. It is a reunion of sorts for me, since I lived my first four years of life in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. I find that the citizens of New York City exhibit a much more fast-paced, stimulating lifestyle to compare with Long Islanders. It certainly lives up to its title as “The City That Never Sleeps.” Although, just like in Long Island, I find myself surrounded by a group of friends and peers of an assortment of ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

I find that my identity as an American with immigrant parents has its advantages and difficulties. Growing up in a middle class American family, I am granted with privileges that people of different economic classes might not have. For example, despite the crazed work ethic of my family, food on our plates and roof over our heads was never a major concern. Nonetheless, the idea still served as an ominous notion of what could be with a lack of ambition and initiative. The industrious mentality and competitive high school education served as jumpstarts allowing me to choose the colleges and programs that I wanted to attend. As a child I had the strain and opportunity of learning to communicate in two languages. As immigrants, my parent’s advice and guidance was somewhat limited in certain areas, as they had no experience as children in this country. Nevertheless, I am proud of my dual identity as both American and Russian. I feel that my Russian heritage enriches my background as an American and has afforded me unique cultural experiences. Yet, I still describe my identity as American, proudly pioneering a culture and augmenting the diversity of my family name.