Jordan Manu

Susan freestone

English 12

October 10, 2016

Why Leave?

To know our struggle you have to know where we come from. From Either our academic

success or our athletic we fight adversity every second of our lives. You might be wondering

who i'm talking about and who are we well im talking about immigrant families of the

polynesian people or any immigrant family of any decent at the least. Growing up mostly in

america still holding strong of my samoan heritage i grew up in the roughest streets of the state,

family from compton, inglewood, long beach and east LA what the american life to me, well

wasn't all how tv puts it. The american dream, wasnt all that and a bag of chips. To me i was

wondering why were my parents working day in and day out to live here and why was my family

in the islands wishing they were in my position living in the states, all questions i asked when i

was younger and the big question why leave? I didnt know what was here then other what i

saw, people slanging dope and killing each other of the streets This is what my version of the

American dream looked like. Now that im older looking at it now (well despite the presidential

debate) being able to write this paper is a blessing. Ive seen and lived in what the world calls

the most dangerous streets of america but does not compare whats going on out there. And i

mean by the tough lives of the polynesian farmers to the war struck countries like saudi arabia. I

Know my families and mine own struggles, what i want to know is why

My father worked a hard labor job to support me and my family, his ours ranged from

60-80 hours a week. All for what you may ask? Actually you might know the answer, yes to put

me and my Six siblings in school and to get us the education we needed to nurture in life. And
thats a big thing that america offers to everyone higher education. I Have many friends who are

immigrants and even refugees (people who escape their country who is at war). In 2014, 36.7

million immigrants, 29% were 25 year olds who graduated with a degree in college. The number

of immigrants with a higher education has doubled those who were born in the U.S born

between 1900-2000. I have a lot of friends who have the same background as i do, either

immigrant parents, first gen college students, gang influenced lifestyle or all together education

is the gateway out of our struggle.

I know i know im not the smartest or best when it comes to school and i have made

mistakes in my past with school, gang life, and football but better damn straight know im going

to graduate and i am going to college. All my friends always talk about college and i am always

thinking about it (because you know, im kind of a senior). So as all seniors do we try and figure

out where we're going for college and how were gonna pay for it. I looked up into some

scholarships come to find out theres specific scholarships for first gen college students and

even some for immigrant students!

Now onto the darker side of things on more what i like to call the things people rather

not get into side of the paper. So i know that the world is a messed up place and all but i really

got intrigued by what makes a country so bad? And what i found was unpleasant. I first to literal

people and asked, most immigrant families would say the same its just flat out harder out there.

There is very little opportunity for higher education so there left to jobs people don't want to do.

Just look at other countries and places, mexico, the polynesian islands, greece, africa, south

america, and even the philippines people are only seen as a work force. Coming from a parental

view damn well i would do whatever it takes to get my family the hell out of there and let my kids

choose what they want to be. And most times thats what happens parents risk everything they

have, everything they ever known, everyone they have ever met, to literally risk it all to make it
to give their children the american dream. Though the pay here may be better, the cost to live

here is insane. For someone to work insane hours to put food on the table, a roof above their

heads, clothes on their back and all in the meantime put them in school, i always find myself i

asking this question to every hard working man or women ive came across from the lunch lady

and the janitor to the construction crew and my father was it worth it? Leaving everything you

ever known behind for this, was it worth the struggle? I get the same answer every single time,

Yes.

Now what im about to talk about is a big reason i love this country and what this certain

topic has done for me and my family. What im about to talk about is something that changed

my life and sure as hell saved it too. What im about to talk about is football. Football is

something i can talk about all day it was what kept me motivated and is what i thought was

gonna save my family from this struggle. This sport would be the reason i would leave

everything i ever known behind for it. Ive told you why others would leave their homelands, well

heres why i would. To start of i absolutely love and have a passion for this sport and it is for

many hopefuls like me mainly polynesians. What i have always been seen as was a football

player and thats what i am but i'm so much more also. For my family and 99% of other

polynesian student athletes football was there for me when everything else wasnt. When school

was going rough football was there, when things at home were a little shaky football was there,

when jail or death was creeping up on my neck, football. For many it is seen as a gateway to

simply phrase, out of the struggle. I was once stopped by a police officer and he asked me what

i wanted to do, i said i was going to go to college, what he said to forever sealed as my

motivation. What he told me was i was going to jail or to the other side. Looking at what i was

surrounded with he was right. But it was up to me to choose. And with football even though i
might not get any athletic scholarship i know i was going to make it. I cant change who i am or

where my familys from, but sure as hell im going to

make sure my parents never work a day in their lives.

resources
 http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/college-educated-immigrants-united-states

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/10/05/todays-newly-arrived-immigrants-are-t

he-best-educated-ever/

http://genprogress.org/about/scholarships-for-undocumented-students-2/

http://www.askheritage.org/why-did-my-family-come-to-america/

My parents/family

Friends

coworkers