To my immigrant parents,

I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the times when I begged you to play outside with me after your long shifts at a job that paid less than you deserve. I'm sorry for the times when I blamed you for a bad grade when the language barrier prevented you from helping me with my homework. I'm sorry for feeling burdened to act as your translator when you couldn't understand someone or when someone couldn't understand you. I'm sorry for feeling embarrassed when you pronounced words wrong. I'm sorry that the “American dream” of freedom, equality, and opportunity did not come easily.

When I was little, I used to wonder why my parents always worked so much. I used to wonder why you couldn’t come to school events or pick me up right after dismissal like all the other parents. It wasn’t until I got to college when I finally understood it all.

Being immigrants in a new country, you had to start from scratch. The United States was advertised as the land of freedom and opportunity. But what was not advertised was the insane difficulty to start a life here. No one ever said how hard it was going to be. You had to work twice as much to even get noticed by job recruiters and your superiors. You had to break down language barriers and stereotypes. Coming from literally nothing, you pushed tirelessly to make something of yourselves in the U.S. You worked endlessly to make sure that I got a life that was better than the life you had in your home country.

All the sacrifices you made, all the long shifts, all the serious discussions about money and how you were going to make ends meet, all the times where you probably wanted to buy something for yourself but decided to save the money — it was all for me. As I’m writing this, you’re probably off to work another long shift to be able to send me to college. It’s all for me. All your hard work and tireless efforts are so that I can create the life you’ve always dreamed of so that your American dream can come true.

This letter is my promise, Mom and Dad. I promise that your efforts will not go unnoticed. Your hard work and perseverance will stand as both my example and my inspiration. When I feel like I’m giving up or when I settle for the bare minimum in my schoolwork, I’ll remember that you never gave up and always strived for the best. I promise that I will take full advantage of all the opportunities you worked so hard to give me and I promise that one day I’ll make you proud.

I will never fully be able to know how much sacrifice it took for you to give me the life I live — to leave your home, your family, and your friends to come to the U.S. with no guarantees or promises that everything will turn out okay. But I have been able to witness your strength, your determination, and your love despite all the challenges that you’ve faced.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for giving me a life that is way better than I deserve. Just as everything you do is for me, everything I do is for you.

Loving you always.