Today was the convocation with the speaker that we had in the later part of class on Monday night. Anil considers himself to be a professional immigrant. He has had extensive experience with immigration having been born in Holland and lived in many other countries around the world. Unlike class, he went into much more depth concerning his personal history and the journey that has brought him to this point. This encounter was much more structured than out previous meeting, but I thought that what he had to say was very interesting. Anil has had a very interesting life and he was eager to share his wisdom with us.
At the end of the session he opened up the floor for questions which is the format that Anil is most comfortable with. I believe it was President Holst that asked about the forced acculturation that immigrants are faced with when they come over to America. Anil's response was that immigration is a "two-way street". I thought this was an interesting way to put it and he has a point. The book of the year was based around the idea that immigrants cannot survive without the effort of American's lending a helping hand. Mary Pipher has devoted much of her time researching, but more importantly, helping the immigrant population by her direct contribution to individuals and the awareness she is raising with her book. Anil said that we need to be open to what they as immigrants have to offer and Pipher gave many examples of the impact that the immigrants have had on her life. We as Americans can get wrapped up in our lives and forget that there are other perspectives in the world and they have a lot they can bring the to table. The joy and freedom we have to go fishing on a sunny day or take a picnic in the park is not available to everyone in the world. Pipher had the opportunity to share many "firsts" with the immigrants she worked with and it helped her find new appreciation in the simple things.
Anil's last bit of wisdom of what he as learned from all of his experiences helped me see through the thick of the semester at the present. I am learning skills now that will be vital to my success in the work force. He worked for Bill Gates and knew him well. Anil said that he was one of the hardest working and driven individuals he had ever met. I received an email from my grandfather today about a speech that Bill Gates gave to school kids about things you won't learn in school. One of the things I thought was funny yet true was, If you don't like your teacher, wait till you have a boss. Life is not as complicated right now as it will be later, and we as a culture have an amazing opportunity that people are willing to give up a lot for the chance at it. Anil said to do as many things you can as well as you can. That was good advice, especially when times are tough and school is not as appealing as it could be.
