African Americans make up just 13.6% of the population in the US but they make up 40% of the prison population. Meanwhile, Asian Americans - many of whose ancestors arrived on US shores without English, poorly educated and with less than zilch - are forging ahead. The question is: Why the Asian success? The answer is very much the same for the Asian contingent as it was for the Jewish one which went before: the vital importance of a good education; that coupled with a positive can-do attitude no matter the obstacles put before them. For this formula is identified as the pathway to success whither it be the new immigrant or first born in the adopted country.
A Personal Story: By Tony Sagami.
Things have changed significantly for the better since 1957, when my mother and I journeyed to the United States from Japan. Our long, two-month trip on a slow naval transport ship must have been frightening to my then-20-year old mother. But she was eager to start a new life in America ... a place where anybody who studied hard and worked hard could be successful. “In America, anybody can get rich if they work hard,” she told me. Those lectures and demands for academic excellence from my mother paid off for me, my siblings and my children.
Today, Asian-Americans are the best-educated, highest-income and fastest-growing group in the United States, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. The opportunities for Asians to advance their education and/or their incomes in America are leading to very many opportunities
My brother is a high-level executive at Nordstrom, my sister is a skilled physical therapist, and my children have always done well in school. My oldest son Ryan will soon begin his PhD studies, and my daughter Keiko was a perfect 4.0 student and the valedictorian of her class.
I am sad to say that my mother died 11 years ago from cancer, but her dreams have become a reality for my family and other Asian-American families all over the United States.
A new study from the Pew Research Center, “The Rise of Asian Americans,” showed just how far Asian-Americans have come. The Pew Research reported that Asians are now immigrating into the U.S. in greater numbers than Latinos, which was quite a surprise to me.
Last year, Asian-Americans accounted for 36% of all immigrants while Hispanics accounted for 31%.
Pew concludes that this shift in immigration leadership was a combination of declining illegal immigration from Mexico because of beefier border control and a weak U.S. economy; while the demand for highly skilled workers from India, China and South Korea increased.
Overall, Asian-Americans still make up a fairly small percentage of our population. The 2011 Census numbers showed that 5.8% of the population is Asian while 16.7% is Hispanic. (the six largest Asian subgroups being: Chinese, Filipinos, Indians, Vietnamese, Koreans and Japanese).
Asians’ Ascent in America.
These immigrants all have one thing in common: They are looking for a better life and are willing to work hard and take on the challenges in order to achieve this.
When my grandfather, Fusakichi Sagami, arrived in the U.S. more than a hundred years ago, he and other Asian-American immigrants were uneducated and limited to what Pew Research called “low-skilled, low-wage” jobs. My grandfather worked in kitchens as a dishwasher and then as a cook until he saved enough money to buy a small vegetable farm in western Washington. His hard work of those of the early immigrants has paid off. “A century ago, most Asian-Americans were low-skilled, low-wage laborers crowded into ethnic enclaves and targets of official discrimination,” says Pew. These days, the median annual household income of Asian-Americans was reported at $66,000, with Indian-Americans accounting for $88,000, compared with a U.S. national average of $49,800.
The educational credentials of the new immigrants are impressive. 61% of the immigrants from Asia ages 25 to 64 have at least a bachelor’s degree, making them the most highly educated group of immigrants in U.S. history. That is double the percentage of non-Asian immigrants.
Finding Education in America.
Asians are not only coming to the U.S. to work but also to attend college. Today, the majority of international students enrolled at U.S. colleges are from Asian countries.
Those Asian students are focusing on science degrees. Among all doctorate-holders who live in America, a majority in computer science (57%), electrical engineering (57%), civil engineering (54%) and mechanical engineering (52%) come from abroad. Now, those Asian students don’t just show up in the U.S. and enroll in Harvard or Stanford. Every foreign student needs to prove his or her proficiency in English by passing the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and this they do, before going on and out into their lives.
Education, education, education is not just some meaningless slogan; and these who ignore it's message will, and currently do, live very much with the consequences. (C) Tony Sagami. (Photos: Copyright Control)
A Personal Story: By Tony Sagami.
Things have changed significantly for the better since 1957, when my mother and I journeyed to the United States from Japan. Our long, two-month trip on a slow naval transport ship must have been frightening to my then-20-year old mother. But she was eager to start a new life in America ... a place where anybody who studied hard and worked hard could be successful. “In America, anybody can get rich if they work hard,” she told me. Those lectures and demands for academic excellence from my mother paid off for me, my siblings and my children.
Today, Asian-Americans are the best-educated, highest-income and fastest-growing group in the United States, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. The opportunities for Asians to advance their education and/or their incomes in America are leading to very many opportunities
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| Asian Students out in the field. |
I am sad to say that my mother died 11 years ago from cancer, but her dreams have become a reality for my family and other Asian-American families all over the United States.
A new study from the Pew Research Center, “The Rise of Asian Americans,” showed just how far Asian-Americans have come. The Pew Research reported that Asians are now immigrating into the U.S. in greater numbers than Latinos, which was quite a surprise to me.
Last year, Asian-Americans accounted for 36% of all immigrants while Hispanics accounted for 31%.
Pew concludes that this shift in immigration leadership was a combination of declining illegal immigration from Mexico because of beefier border control and a weak U.S. economy; while the demand for highly skilled workers from India, China and South Korea increased.
Overall, Asian-Americans still make up a fairly small percentage of our population. The 2011 Census numbers showed that 5.8% of the population is Asian while 16.7% is Hispanic. (the six largest Asian subgroups being: Chinese, Filipinos, Indians, Vietnamese, Koreans and Japanese).
Asians’ Ascent in America.
These immigrants all have one thing in common: They are looking for a better life and are willing to work hard and take on the challenges in order to achieve this.
When my grandfather, Fusakichi Sagami, arrived in the U.S. more than a hundred years ago, he and other Asian-American immigrants were uneducated and limited to what Pew Research called “low-skilled, low-wage” jobs. My grandfather worked in kitchens as a dishwasher and then as a cook until he saved enough money to buy a small vegetable farm in western Washington. His hard work of those of the early immigrants has paid off. “A century ago, most Asian-Americans were low-skilled, low-wage laborers crowded into ethnic enclaves and targets of official discrimination,” says Pew. These days, the median annual household income of Asian-Americans was reported at $66,000, with Indian-Americans accounting for $88,000, compared with a U.S. national average of $49,800.
Finding Education in America.
Asians are not only coming to the U.S. to work but also to attend college. Today, the majority of international students enrolled at U.S. colleges are from Asian countries.
Those Asian students are focusing on science degrees. Among all doctorate-holders who live in America, a majority in computer science (57%), electrical engineering (57%), civil engineering (54%) and mechanical engineering (52%) come from abroad. Now, those Asian students don’t just show up in the U.S. and enroll in Harvard or Stanford. Every foreign student needs to prove his or her proficiency in English by passing the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and this they do, before going on and out into their lives.
Education, education, education is not just some meaningless slogan; and these who ignore it's message will, and currently do, live very much with the consequences. (C) Tony Sagami. (Photos: Copyright Control)
