Celebrate America

Several months ago before the school year ended, my daughter won 3rd place in a writing contest put on by the Association of Immigration Lawyers. She had to write an essay titled, "Why I'm Proud to Live in a Nation of Immigrants".

One of the awards was reading her essay at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services where over 400 immigrants, from 43 different countries, became United States citizens.

Her father and I got to attend, and it was one of the most amazing, emotional experiences in my life. To sit through the process was interesting, but to feel the joy and emotion in the room when these immigrants were pronounced citizens was indescribable. I spent most of the time in tears. It makes you really appreciate where you live. Gripe about the President and whine about the gas prices, but be thankful that you are able to do all of that.

Below is Madison's paper:

Why I am Proud to Live in a Nation of Immigrants

I am very proud to live in the United States, a nation of immigrants. We are known as the melting pot because people from all over the world come here to live. Living with immigrants is very interesting because we learn new cultures and meet different types of people, but mostly it means that we are a free country that welcomes everyone.

Having people from other countries live in our nation opens us up to other cultures. We experience new religions, recipes, and languages. More varieties of foods mean more restaurants and something new for dinner every night. More types of religions give us more to choose from, and learning other languages is not only helpful but fun.

I attend a school with kids whose parents were born in India, Puerto Rico, Greece, China, and Germany. From these classmates, I am exposed to other languages, different types of music and dance, clothing and different customs. I know more about the world around me because I can get answers to my questions directly from people who have experience in these different countries.

The United States was founded by immigrants from England. These were people who wanted to be free to live their lives the way they wanted, without restrictions. Today people are still coming to the United States for that reason, and our country welcomes them with open arms.

Every American is a descendant from someone who came from another country. For years immigrants have brought their religions, their customs, and their languages and merged them with our own. Together we learn from each other. Together we make up America. I am proud to be a part of the melting pot.