Proud to be an American Immigrant

These last two days, I had the chance to attend the annual Merage gathering in Washington, D.C. The Merage Foundation (http://www.meragefoundations.com/mfad.html) is the organization through I received my fellowship for the first two years of med school.

It. was. so. inspiring. incredible. motivational.

But let me start from the beginning.

I won the award last year, but Ben and I were on our honeymoon during the ceremony in 2010. So, I got the opportunity to go this year as a second year fellow. I was a little apprehensive about meeting the other fellows. Would they be friendly? Would I be able to relate to them? Am I out of my league? I was SO pleasantly surprised. Everyone I met and talked to was so nice, so real...so much like me. I arrived at Ronald Reagan airport in D.C. and took a cab over to the Park Hyatt where we were staying (gorgeous hotel). I checked in and found out I would be rooming with two of the other fellows but they had not arrived yet. I got into the room, unpacked, settled, and got ready for the dinner that evening. As I was waiting in the lobby for the shuttle, I had the chance to meet some of the 2011 fellows. One was going on to pursue her PhD in physics at Harvard and the other her PhD in geology at the University of Houston -- impressive right? Let's just say everyone I met this weekend was impressive, yet so humble and down to earth.

When the shuttle arrived, we headed over to an apparently famous restaurant in D.C. -- 1789 (Obama had just eaten there with someone last month). Paul Merage and his family (founder of the Merage Foundation) were hosting a welcome dinner for all the fellows there. The food was great, and the company was better. I met a few of the 2010 (my year) fellows -- one pursuing a masters in economics and planning to write a book on sustainable development in India and the other one working on urban development in Cambodia (again--so impressive). As the dinner drew to a close, Paul Merage welcomed us and asked us all to introduce ourselves. The Merage family was so welcoming,so approachable, and you could feel how proud of us they were and how much they want us to succeed. It was a lovely way to be welcomed to D.C. and the Merage Fellow family.

I ended up going out in Georgetown with a few of the fellows after dinner and had a great time getting to know them even better.

The next morning, we attended a colloquium on immigrant integration in the United States. I wish my parents could have been there. It was basically about how immigrants to the United States (first, second, third generation) are integrating on all levels (economic, social, political, etc...), and it turns out-- immigrants are integrating especially well and really contributing to American society. Most immigrants WANT to learn English (and do), they WANT to blend into American society, they WANT to contribute. I feel that a lot of people who are scared of the immigrant issue (and have misconception about immigrants) would have benefited from the discussion.

We then attended the Merage board meeting where they discussed the progress of their projects this last year. Their main project is a dual language school (turned community development project) in California called El Sol. This charter school is incredible! They really take a comprehensive approach to education, and their standardized test scores show that it's working. My favorite part -- they have an on site, fully equipped clinic (with lab and electronic medical record system) that not only serves the children, but the entire family. They also receive free referrals to the nearby tertiary care center for any major procedures. Other components -- an after school program that serves as extended learning time for students, an enrichment program that encourages involvement in the fine arts, an integrated social resources base for the use of the families in the school (just to name a few). Overall, it sounds like a REALLY cool project, and I would really like to get involved somehow.

We had some free time in afternoon which I used to catch up with Heather. She is taking her step 1 board examination on Saturday -- so be thinking about her! It was so nice to be able to see her, even if it was just for an hour.

That night was the awards dinner at the National Press Club where the honored the contribution of specific community leaders who also happened to be immigrants. This year they honored ANOUSHEH ANSARI, DEEPAK BHARGAVA, CARLOS M. GUTIERREZ, DR. ERIC R. KANDEL, DR. FAREED ZAKARIA. Hearing about these immigrants' accomplishments in America, their love for America, their pride on being immigrants to America was just so inspiring. Each of the fellows also got personally recognized, and there were so many people who came up to us afterwards to offer us personal words of encouragement.

It was the first time I experienced the pride of being an immigrant. I wasn't just the girl with funny accent or the one who lived in huts and played with lions ;) I was someone who was contributing to America. I was someone who is making a difference.

Afterwards, I personally thanked Paul and the rest of the Merage foundation, and he again just reiterated how proud he was of me. This multimillionaire, successful, Iranian immigrant was proud of me-- genuinely. It just warmed my heart and really further motivated me to make sure that I DO make a difference in America, that I DO become a leader in my community , that I DO represent what immigrants contribute to society.

So there it is --- I am proud to be an American immigrant, and I will make the most of this opportunity I have been given.