“When we first arrived to New York City, we were in the Bronx. We got to the Bronx in 2001, and April, before 9/11. But this is the picture of me. I'm heading to the barbershop because I was trying to go to a party that day—this is on Saturday —that my mom was like, ‘You can go if you cut your hair.’ I think I grew my hair for like, a year. She’s like, ‘No, you got to cut your hair.’ So I say, ‘OK, if I gotta cut my hair, you’ve got to take a picture of it.’ So, I just grabbed my sisterand she just took a picture. And I went to the barbershop and cut my hair. And I went to the party that night.

I really like this picture. Actually, we have it in our fridge at home. It just brings memories of family. Being freshly arrived to the US, as a family as a whole, we had hope of big things. I just think about my mindset, when I first arrived, it’s always perseverance, hope for a great future. That's why my mom decided to come to the US. She decided for us to move as a family to the US because my brother and I were ready to go to high school. And she wanted us to go to college. So education is big in our family.

The journey for success as an American is tough. And I think we do a good job of masking all the struggles because we’ve just got to persevere. I think it's important for people to know that it's not easy. But we are trying our best. I think that perseverance and resilience is something thatcomes with the territory of being an immigrant. Because without it, it will be so much more difficult to survive in the United States or any place you go.”