Freshman Esta Kamau

In 2004, freshman Esta Kamau’s parents immigrated from Kenya in search of better education and future for their children. Initially, Kamau says that her father’s decision to immigrate was extremely difficult and Kamau’s father was unsure about their immigration, but his friends in Kenya convinced him to immigrate.

“We have a lot of family back [in Kenya]. It’s hard to move away from your parents and your relatives and leave everything behind to start in a new country that you’re not familiar with. It was difficult for them to do that,” Kamau said.

Though the distance is great, Kamau’s family travels to Kenya almost every two years. Kamau has visited Kenya four times in total, most recently in the summer of 2021. 

“It’s very relieving to see [my family in Kenya], especially if I haven’t seen them in so long and the only way I can talk to them is over text or call. It’s a very relieving and overly happy moment to finally see them after such a long time,” Kamau said.

Kamau believes that being a child of immigrant parents can sometimes make her feel like an outcast, especially due to comments on her parents’ accents. While her parents have an accent, Kamau says she is used to it and doesn’t notice it anymore.

“Being an immigrant gets hard because some people will comment on people’s accents. Whenever someone meets them for the first time, they always ask, ‘where are you from?’ I feel like it’s easier for me [because I don’t have a heavy accent], and people don’t ask me the same questions.’ I think it’s easier for me than my parents because of the stuff they’ve already gone through,” Kamau said. “When you’re put into a situation where you’re called out for having a different accent than everyone else, it’s kind of hurtful.”

Prior to moving in seventh grade, Kamau attended a different school and says she faced discrimination and bullying in elementary school. Third grade is when Kamau began to notice that she felt different from her classmates, in part due to her last name. 

“Not having the same American last name as everyone else is kind of off-putting. When I was in elementary school, kids were unaware and insensitive, but they didn’t know that they were [being] hurtful. I would feel left out of things because people would always comment on my last name and purposefully pronounce it differently even though I would correct them,” Kamau said. “I started getting treated differently and people started making fun of my last name, and whenever my parents would show up to school, people would say insensitive things. I’ve been feeling that way for a while. I did get bullied or made fun of sometimes for being an immigrant or having parents that are immigrants. I felt like I was kind of ashamed of my parents being at the school premises. Because of that, the students would make fun of me after my parents left because of my parents’ accents or the way they looked.”

After moving, Kamau has felt more accepted due to the community of immigrants both at West and locally. 

“There’s a very big mix of people that are from everywhere [at West]. I feel more accepted because I’m not the only one. I think people are more accepting and people are more respectful,” Kamau said.

Kamau has found a community here within the JV Poms team. Initially, Kamau felt ostracized as the only minority on the team, but she says a conversation with her dad changed her outlook.

“I was the only Black or Kenyan girl on the [Poms] team, and my Dad was telling me to accept that I am the special one because I am the minority of the group,” Kamau said. “[Being a child of immigrant parents] has made me become a leader. [When joining clubs], sometimes I feel like I am the only one that’s alone because I’m normally the only one that’s from the place that I am from. My parents have always taught me to be confident about where I am from and know that I am the minority, so that means I’m the special one.”

In regards to academics, Kamau feels that she faces obstacles as well. Kamau cites stress resulting from being the child of immigrants as an additional pressure that comes with school work.

“In minority countries, there aren’t as good education systems as there are in America. So, immigrant parents tend to tell their kids to study harder, make sure that they get good grades and make sure that they don’t have any missing assignments. [They] want their child to have a better future than they did. In a way, that’s good, but also I do feel really pressured by my parents because they constantly remind me about school. Sometimes I feel like that’s the only thing that they talk about with me,” Kamau said. “I wish teachers would know that it is very stressful at times because immigrant parents are always suggesting that you study or they always bring up academics or making sure that you’re on top of your grades. I wish that teachers would be more sensitive and more [understanding] of what’s going on with other students and their situations. It really matters to know what they’re going through.”

Though Kamau has never lived in Kenya, she still experiences the Kenyan culture by having gatherings with other Kenyans in her community or city, cooking Kenyan meals and wearing and learning about Kenyan clothing styles. 

“My parents have been living here for so long that they have already inherited the American way of life. They’re already adjusted and they already have the American culture also. I still have a sense of the [Kenyan] culture even though I’m not constantly in the country itself,” Kamau said. “Having a mix [of cultures] has really benefited me and changed my style.”

As a child of immigrant parents, Kamau says that she has encountered many stereotypes and misconceptions relating to her situation and her culture, specifically about the continent of Africa.

“Kenya is an African country, so a lot of people in the past have tended to have really harsh stereotypes. For example, people think that the entire continent of Africa is basically poor and doesn’t have any clean water. That’s not necessarily true. There are countries that have less than others, but specifically, the country where I’m coming from is a really good country. There is clean water, and there are resources that everyone in America also has there,” Kamau said. “I don’t think that the stereotypes really fit anymore because [African countries] have progressed over time. That stereotype is very insensitive and people don’t really know what they’re talking about because they haven’t actually experienced or gone to that country or continent itself.”

Kamau believes that people should be held responsible for educating themselves to not further stereotypes.

“A lot of people aren’t aware of the actual conditions of any country that they may have negative stereotypes about. Not every country is how you think it is, so you need to pay more attention and educate yourself,” Kamau said. “I feel like a lot of people need to be more educated on other people’s situations and know that [immigrant children are] not any different from you. They’re also human. They’re also people. I feel like people should be more aware of what they’re saying or who they are around.”

While Kamau believes that being a child of immigrant parents comes with a variety of positive and negative effects, overall, she is grateful to have the opportunities that accompany the fact that her parents immigrated to the U.S.

“I’m very grateful to have an opportunity to move to America. My cousins, not all of them have that opportunity back in Kenya. I was granted that opportunity because of that green card and now I have a better education and better future. Since [we] immigrated, I feel like I have a better chance at succeeding in life,” Kamau said. “Being a child of an immigrant is really cool because you know where you come from, and you know your traditions and your culture. Learning about other people that are immigrants too is really fascinating. Being an immigrant has some side effects like negative thoughts going through your head and also some positive things that you go through. It’s really cool to have a culture within different countries. You have a sense of different cultures and you get to experience both.”