"We were immigrants"
Courtesy of Google Maps
Audrey Lo was born in Burma, identifies as Chinese, and calls North Carolina her home.
I am in awe of her outlook, drive and passion, but mostly, her humility. Audrey’s story is one of triumph, family and adaptability, but she modestly downplays a life of remarkable growth.
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“I’m from Burma, but I’m not actually Burmese.” Audrey’s life is a meandering path of movement. Born in Burma to Chinese parents, she soon moved to Hong Kong where she stayed until she was 13 years old. Her parents then moved their family to New York City, New York.
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Courtesy of Google Maps
Courtesy of Google Maps
“We moved to New York in 1980, when I was 13 years old.”
Courtesy of Unsplash
This move was perhaps the most monumental obstacle she has faced in her life. After immigrating to the United States, she initially could not fathom or accept the idea of staying, of calling this place her home. “We were immigrants” she recalls. “We moved to New York in 1980 when I was 13 years old.”
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The concrete jungle of New York was unfamiliar and the English that spilled from pale faces was difficult to understand and learn. However, her parents continued to encourage her siblings and her; They moved to America in hopes of a better future, a better education for their children and Audrey fondly recalls their constant support.
Courtesy of Unsplash
Courtesy of Unsplash
Courtesy of Unsplash
Courtesy of Unsplash
She remembers “settling down” and attending Washington High School on 14th Street. After graduation, she went on to pursue higher education at Stony Brook University in Long Island, earning her bachelor’s of science degree in Economics and Statistics. I am again struck by her nonchalant attitude towards this remarkable feat. As a woman of color, her tenacity and aptitude propelled her to excel in a male dominated STEM world.
Courtesy of Google Images
“Right here” – Cary, North Carolina.
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“Where is home?” I inquire, curious to learn where this resilient tapestry of a woman has planted her roots. “Right here” she responds without hesitation.
“I was born in Burma and I left when I was four. We went to Hong Kong for a couple of years and moved here (America) when I was 13. This is my home…I was raised right here.”
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Courtesy of Unsplash
Courtesy of Google Images
Her entire family still lives in New York – “they didn’t move, but I did.” It was the “first place where [they] were immigrants.”
She uses the word “were,” revealing to me that America is her home and that identity of “immigrant” was a fleeting period of discomfort when she first began settling in America.