Free Essay with the Family and Personal History

In the past three decades, a majority of the African immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa migrated to the United States due to political upheavals, poverty, famine or war. Hence, promoting the perception that most of the African immigrants in America are desperate and poorly educated. The perception has been supported by the diversity-visa program that aims at enhancing immigration from the underrepresented countries. Consequently, the program that has benefited most of the African refugees and given them an opportunity to seek a better livelihood in the U.S. As per 2015 the United States Immigration statistics indicated that almost 1.7 million African immigrants resided in various American states. South Africa, Kenya, Congo, Ghana, and Nigeria account for more than 50% of the sub-Saharan Africans living in America. Most of the African immigrants have degrees in math, engineering, science, and technology that gives them an advantage compared to migrants from other continents. As a result, they have made significant contributions to various sectors of the American economy that often face challenges in acquiring competent personnel.

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My parents are Congolese citizens who migrated to the United States in 1996. Therefore, my heritage is linked to the Democratic Republic of Congo found in Central Africa. Congo is the second-largest African nation after Algeria. Kinshasa is its capital city although Mbuji-Mayi and Lubumbashi are major cities due to their notable mining activities. Congo is endowed with several natural resources however political instability has contributed to poor infrastructure, corruption, and exploitation resulting in insignificant national development (Gebremedhin and Mavisakalyan 323). The political upheavals in Congo motivated my parents to seek quality education and make a positive impact in the society. For instance, my father's excellent performance in his high school education granted him a scholarship to one of the world class universities in Belgium. He was enrolled to pursue a degree in computer engineering that enabled him to be employed by Samsung, Coppell Texas. My father's experience and skills to identify and fix technical issues in the electronics contributed to his appointment to head the computer repair department. Moreover, my mother pursued a degree in Public Communication at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. The exceptional public relations and communications skills she acquired enabled her to be a DHL Express employee. She works as a cell phone ensembler where she provides reliable feedback to clients and colleagues regarding the freight cargo and warehouse stocks. Hence, my parents are among the sub-Saharan immigrants contributing to the steady growth of the American economy.

My sister and I joined our parents in the United States in 2005. We had to wait for the U.S Immigration officials to approve our parent's request to grant us legal permanent residence. My father enrolled us in different public elementary and high schools where we attained exceptional grades that secured our admissions to the prestigious American universities. Currently, my sister is pursuing a computer engineering bachelor's degree as a full-time student. Conversely, I am undertaking a nursing course and I often work as an assistant nurse at a local healthcare center. My objective is to acquire knowledge and practical experience while still schooling. Therefore, once I graduate from the university my impact in assisting to resolve the health care issues will be evident within the society.

Most of the African immigrants' professional impact is quite evident in the healthcare sector. According to the New American Economy, approximately 30% of the employed sub-Saharan migrants tend to work in the social services and healthcare industry (7). The statistics imply that the immigrants are more likely to secure jobs within the healthcare sector as home health assistants, psychiatrists, and nurses. Additionally, in the health care center where I work as an assistant nurse, the African migrants have a significant employment share. For instance, roughly 19% of them are registered nurses whereas 5% are surgeons. The high number of African immigrants employed in the healthcare sector is considerable in boosting the American economy. The healthcare industry is viewed as a fast-growing industry that is likely to be characterized by frequent labor shortages by 2030 (New American Economy 11). The American 50.6 million millennial population demands for a more specialized healthcare. Therefore, the personnel shortages within the healthcare sector are likely to increase over time.

The African immigrants through their skills and education have made significant economic contributions within the United States. For example, my parents and sister represent the large number of African immigrants possessing science, technology, engineering and math, STEM, degrees. Consequently, the African immigrants are not only filling the STEM jobs but also playing a crucial role in enlightening the next American workforces. For instance, in 2016 about 13,000 postsecondary tutors in most American states were African migrants (New American Economy 15). Similarly, in the healthcare sector, the African immigrant graduates are more likely to take on psychiatric or assistant nursing roles compared to similarly skilled Americans. As a result, a majority of the African migrants are entrepreneurs who strive to fill the workforce gaps and nurture the next American professionals.

As African immigrants, my family and I, have the mandate to contribute positively to the growth of the American gross domestic product. My parents are employed in the STEM sector and through their daily tasks have generated revenues to the federal and state governments. Similarly, soon my sister and I will be graduates who will be striving to empower the society through our skills in the engineering and healthcare fields. Therefore, African migrants should strive to initiate businesses, revitalize communities, and serve in different professional disciplines in the United States.

Works Cited

Gebremedhin, Tesfaye A., and Astghik Mavisakalyan. "Immigration and Political Instability." Kyklos 66.3 (2013): 317-341.

New American Economy. "Power Of The Purse: How Sub-Saharan Africans Contribute To The U.S. Economy." Partnership for a New American Economy Research Fund (2018): 1-17.