What happens to the children in the immigrant communities when they grow up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many of the Latino and African communities have been arriving for a few decades, so many of their kids should be adults but I feel like I should see more professionals in their communities. With all the emphasis that school systems play, what happens? Do the kids fail to launch or not go to college? Just seems a little strange since there are so many kids from Ethiopia, and Honduras, and other countries.

Not against diversity for children but am genuinely curious if anyone has insights.

It depends on emphasis they put on education. If kid's family and their culture encourages the value of education, the kid will most likely go to college and get a professional job (like myself). If education is not valued, they will go many different directions - from small businesses, hourly worker, skilled technicians, and even in jail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:you are clearly a troll. however here are some examples from my millennial classmates who were born in other countries, including those you mentioned:

-policy advisors
-assistant principal
-so many doctors
-bilingual journalists
-science phds who are making the world a better place
-engineering/computer science-y folks who are designing the technology that we will depend upon in 10 years

Classmates from where, high school? I am genuinely interested to know what high school has graduated kids born to Latin American immigrants (re-read OP's question) who grew up to be policy advisors and 'so many doctors.' Or hard science PhDs or engineers.

I've worked in medicine in the DMV for about 8 years and I can count on one hand the number of doctors I've met who were born to immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, etc. I WISH there were more, there's a desperate need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of the Latino and African communities have been arriving for a few decades, so many of their kids should be adults but I feel like I should see more professionals in their communities. With all the emphasis that school systems play, what happens? Do the kids fail to launch or not go to college? Just seems a little strange since there are so many kids from Ethiopia, and Honduras, and other countries.

Not against diversity for children but am genuinely curious if anyone has insights.

It depends on emphasis they put on education. If kid's family and their culture encourages the value of education, the kid will most likely go to college and get a professional job (like myself). If education is not valued, they will go many different directions - from small businesses, hourly worker, skilled technicians, and even in jail.

It's not just that. Think of the cost. If your parents barely have money to pay for monthly bills, how will college work? Maybe if you are super bright, you might get some merit money but what about everyone else? How will they pay for it? One course at a time? Community college is available but the completion rate is very low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People need to have realistic expectations (and honestly a lot of people don't). There are very few people around the world who go from a rural peasant background to professional, upper middle class in one generation. Immigrants through the history of the United States take a couple of generations to move up the SES ladder. The immigrants from many of these communities view themselves as better off than they were in their home country, otherwise they wouldn't stay. So, we don't need to fret, but just continue to provide educational opportunities. It is not systemic racism that keeps a teenager who arrived in the US speaking no English and having little to no formal education (many aliterate) from going to college. Honestly, I think we could help more if we took those teenagers and put them in an intensive English/vocational program, rather than trying to have them adapt to Geometry class. Kids that are smart can move quickly and enroll in CC once they speak English.

+1

I agree with this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you are clearly a troll. however here are some examples from my millennial classmates who were born in other countries, including those you mentioned:

-policy advisors
-assistant principal
-so many doctors
-bilingual journalists
-science phds who are making the world a better place
-engineering/computer science-y folks who are designing the technology that we will depend upon in 10 years

Classmates from where, high school? I am genuinely interested to know what high school has graduated kids born to Latin American immigrants (re-read OP's question) who grew up to be policy advisors and 'so many doctors.' Or hard science PhDs or engineers.

I've worked in medicine in the DMV for about 8 years and I can count on one hand the number of doctors I've met who were born to immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, etc. I WISH there were more, there's a desperate need.

NP here. OP said “immigrant communities” in the title. She then seemed to use Latin and African as examples, but she wasn’t clear she was only asking about them. Many immigrants’ children are tremendously successful, more so than children whose ancestors have been in the US for generations. We all know who those groups are, Indians, Chinese, Korean, Iranian, and so on. Why? Because their parents were usually well educated themselves or became entrepreneurs.

[Anonymous]

“ OP said “immigrant communities” in the title. She then seemed to use Latin and African as examples, but she wasn’t clear she was only asking about them. Many immigrants’ children are tremendously successful, more so than children whose ancestors have been in the US for generations. We all know who those groups are, Indians, Chinese, Korean, Iranian, and so on. Why? Because their parents were usually well educated themselves or became entrepreneurs.”

Yes. Obviously re: Asian immigrants. Which is why obviously OP was not talking about them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you are clearly a troll. however here are some examples from my millennial classmates who were born in other countries, including those you mentioned:

-policy advisors
-assistant principal
-so many doctors
-bilingual journalists
-science phds who are making the world a better place
-engineering/computer science-y folks who are designing the technology that we will depend upon in 10 years

Classmates from where, high school? I am genuinely interested to know what high school has graduated kids born to Latin American immigrants (re-read OP's question) who grew up to be policy advisors and 'so many doctors.' Or hard science PhDs or engineers.

I've worked in medicine in the DMV for about 8 years and I can count on one hand the number of doctors I've met who were born to immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, etc. I WISH there were more, there's a desperate need.

NP here. OP said “immigrant communities” in the title. She then seemed to use Latin and African as examples, but she wasn’t clear she was only asking about them. Many immigrants’ children are tremendously successful, more so than children whose ancestors have been in the US for generations. We all know who those groups are, Indians, Chinese, Korean, Iranian, and so on. Why? Because their parents were usually well educated themselves or became entrepreneurs.

Well, we know that when people come into the country with existing wealth and education, they tend to do well. When they do not, it usually takes a few generations to see real social mobility. That's true for Asian immigrant communities as well.

[Anonymous]

All kinds of immigrants are coming to US. Ill-educated, illegal, with language barrier, no prospects, many dysfunctions...as well as well educated, legal, bi-lingual, functional. So, it is ridiculous to say that all experiences will be same.

However, once these students are in US, they need to be educated so that our population is well educated and well trained.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People need to have realistic expectations (and honestly a lot of people don't). There are very few people around the world who go from a rural peasant background to professional, upper middle class in one generation. Immigrants through the history of the United States take a couple of generations to move up the SES ladder. The immigrants from many of these communities view themselves as better off than they were in their home country, otherwise they wouldn't stay. So, we don't need to fret, but just continue to provide educational opportunities. It is not systemic racism that keeps a teenager who arrived in the US speaking no English and having little to no formal education (many aliterate) from going to college. Honestly, I think we could help more if we took those teenagers and put them in an intensive English/vocational program, rather than trying to have them adapt to Geometry class. Kids that are smart can move quickly and enroll in CC once they speak English.

+1

I agree with this.

+2. I'm in strong favor of the intensive English + vocational training option. I think it will yield economic security and upward mobility for their children faster.