Nancy immigrated to the United States from France with her mother, brothers, and sisters. Nancy immigrated when she was eight years old, only in second grade. She left her cousins, aunts, and uncles behind in France. Nancy remembers that it rained a lot in France, which was very different than the United States. In high school, Nancy traveled to Belgium. In Belgian schools, you had to know how to speak English, French, and Flemish.
Nancy’s family decided to immigrate because her father had to travel for business in the United States. Nancy did not have any say in her family’s decision to immigrate. The entire trip took them thirteen hours to get here by plane. When they decided to make this great life change, Nancy was only eight years old.
“People have preconceived notions of what immigrants look like, and since I have white skin and no longer have an accent, some people feel free to say negative things about immigrants to me assuming I am a native-born American. This is incredible hurtful.”
Because Nancy immigrated when she was young, she didn’t understand a lot of what was going on because of the language barrier. When Nancy first came to the United States as a child she was treated fine, but people treated her mom like she was less intelligent because of her accent. This was a stereotype because she had a nursing degree in France. It was very hard for Nancy to witness.
Nancy’s family arrived at their new home in Connecticut on a Saturday. That Monday, Nancy’s father left for a business trip and had to leave his family alone for a week. She had to be courageous and start school on Monday and did not know anyone. She didn’t even speak a word of English. Nancy’s mother took care of the children but did not yet know the language or culture in America. It was a big obstacle for Nancy and her family to be in a new country without being able to communicate with others.
She was very nervous and had a stutter so she got a speech therapist. This therapist helped Nancy learn English and pronounce words correctly. Once Nancy learned English, she had a much easier time communicating with others. Overcoming this obstacle allowed Nancy to find success in her journey of immigration. She now has her Masters Degree and often volunteers in our community.
Project Creators - Brooke, Jorge, Naomi, Savannah, Jonathan, and Logan
Credits:
All Student and Immigrant Portrait Photos, Writing, Audio Clip Video Short, Climographs, and Coordinate Maps Created By the ISAAC Students - Grade 6 Website Format Created By the Sixth Grade Student Documentary Crew