Sunshine

by Sophia Soriano

Migrating from the Philippines to the United States might seem as though it was a hard process… And it was. This was the story of my parents; my mom who had migrated when she was less than 18 years old and my dad before he was 25 years old. Despite facing racism, new surroundings, and a little amount of people they found that they could rely on, they were able to live the “American dream.” Through this, they provided my siblings and I with a safe and loving environment to the extent that I didn’t even know about or could even imagine the hardships they had endured to achieve this dream. I am not here to downplay the obstacles they had faced or to make it seem like the journey they had embarked upon to get to this point was easy; in fact, it was the opposite. I am here, however, to let people know that, in time and through their hard work and dedication, it will all be worth it. Similar to how sunshine can finally peek through after a long day of constant rain, it’ll all be worth it. Although it may seem hard sometimes and it’ll feel like all the struggle isn’t worth it, it is. Being able to hopefully provide your family with a better future than you were granted, will make it worth it. Being able to soon live comfortably and safely, will make it worth it. After this obstacle, many others will seem like a breeze in comparison, so I urge you to keep pushing. Push for those who came before you and those will come after. Push for yourself as a child. Push for your dreams and everything you could ever hope for, because I know that the sunshine will soon peek through.