I grew up speaking Russian (my first language prior to grasping English in preschool), submerged in foreign cultural ways, with parents who couldn't guide me through the educational system like others who had experienced it firsthand. The daughter of Ukrainian immigrants, I knew nothing of American life or traditions before I encountered them in the New York public school setting. There, I met the core of American ideals, determination and self-sufficiency, a message of self-encouragement I used to propel myself through my educational beginnings. I wouldn't need the advice of siblings or the legacy of my parents to achieve the success I envisioned for
I grew up speaking Russian (my first language prior to grasping English in preschool), submerged in foreign cultural ways, with parents who couldn't guide me through the educational system like others who had experienced it firsthand. The daughter of Ukrainian immigrants, I knew nothing of American life or traditions before I encountered them in the New York public school setting. There, I met the core of American ideals, determination and self-sufficiency, a message of self-encouragement I used to propel myself through my educational beginnings. I wouldn't need the advice of siblings or the legacy of my parents to achieve the success I envisioned for