This is an immigration website I designed. I wrote a story about my immigrant mother and the challenges she faced coming to America. I then chose a color scheme I believed best showcased the context on the website. A vibrating red, orange, and deep blue. This alone can pull the audience in to want to learn more. I illustrated a photo of my mom and 2 hands holding each other for support. After reading the story the symbolism in the illustrations is clear.
Coming to America was an exciting and scary experience.
Leaving loved ones behind in search of new opportunities and a better life was a bittersweet feeling. The year was 1999. My Mom, a young 19-year-old woman from Monroeville Liberia, was excited to start her new life in the United States with her Husband. Adjusting to a completely different way of life was definitely difficult, especially coming from a country that was still in the middle of its Civil War. The first job my mother had was at a nursing home. Although the work was long and tiring, it paid well. My mom and My dad were able to send money back home while living in the US. At the time this was considered a blessing. Like most working Immigrants living in America, trying to break those cultural differences at the workplace included attempting to learn this foreign language A way of life that consisted of working the typical 9 to 5 while indulging in a McDonald's Big Mac and a vanilla milkshake. But what she didn't know was that The American Dream also came with American reality.
Facing racism was a new challenge she didn't encounter in Liberia. In Liberia, people were prejudiced based on where they came from but never on the color of their skin or the way they spoke. After a while of Working the job, She decided to go back to school to study communications and social work. She wanted to work with children that may look like She felt alone or different. She believed it was critical to work with tough kids in the system that may be misunderstood And all they need is someone they can connect with on a deeper level to help them work through their issues. After 20+ years of living in America and working as a social worker in the alternate school district. She is now on the board of Minnesota Diversity and Equity working to eliminate these racial stereotypes that divide people in America.