1997 Winner, Veronica Curran

Most immigrants are not famous people. They are just regular, ordinary people, like my family and me.

In America, people have opportunities. They have a chance to use their talents to improve America. My family is a good example of why immigrants are good for this country.

My father’s family immigrated from Ireland. They lived on a very poor farm which was too small to support everyone. They came to Montana and worked long hours in a dangerous copper mine. They saved their money for their children to get a good education. My father is now a teacher. America helped their family and they helped America.

My mother’s family were printers who moved from Switzerland, then to America. They were in trouble for printing books against the government. They were looking for freedom to express themselves. They helped America by being good thinkers.

Many students have immigrant stories like these. But my family’s story is different because my brothers, sister and I were adopted from different countries. We all have our own stories. My oldest brother immigrated from Colombia. My sister’s ancestors immigrated from Portugal. My other brother and I immigrated from India.

If America was not a nation of immigrants, my family would not have been created. Because America welcomes people from all over the world, our family members have come together to become American citizens. I hope we will grow up to help America.