How Immigrants’ Resilience has Made Canada Better | Melissa Grelo | TEDxCentennialCollegeToronto

Summary

The speaker, a proud child of Filipino and Portuguese-Brazilian immigrants, recounts her parents' journeys to Canada and their relentless pursuit of the Canadian dream. Through hard work and resilience, they overcame challenges, providing a foundation for their children to succeed. The speaker reflects on her own identity crisis and career shift from education to journalism, driven by her parents' values. She highlights the impact of immigrants on Canada's progress and the common narrative of immigrant success, embodying the spirit of perseverance and the pursuit of dreams.

Takeaways

• 🌏 The speaker has been asked about their ethnicity throughout their life, reflecting on the challenges of assimilation in a predominantly Caucasian community.
• 🏡 The speaker's parents immigrated to Canada from the Philippines and Portugal, seeking opportunities and embodying the resilience of immigrants.
• 👨‍👧‍👦 The parents' hard work and sacrifices, such as working multiple jobs and supporting their families back home, were aimed at creating a better life for their children.
• 💃 The mother's journey from the Philippines involved overcoming professional challenges, like her teaching degree not being recognized, and adapting to various jobs to support her family.
• 🐎 The father's entrepreneurial spirit led him to work in landscaping and as a grocer before pursuing his dream of owning a horse farm, showcasing the immigrant's drive to succeed.
• 💑 The parents met at a club, and their marriage in 1973 marked the beginning of a family that would grow to include the speaker and their sister.
• 🏘️ The family faced economic hardships during the recessions of the 1970s and 1980s, which impacted the father's horse farm business significantly.
• 📚 The speaker excelled academically, achieving high grades and earning a university degree, which reflects the high expectations immigrant parents have for their children's education.
• 🔄 The speaker experienced a quarter-life crisis, questioning their career path in education and ultimately transitioning to journalism, highlighting the importance of following one's passion.
• 🎤 The speaker's success in television, including hosting a talk show and interviewing notable figures, is attributed to the work ethic and confidence instilled by their parents.
• 🏆 The speaker's achievements are seen as the realization of their parents' dreams, emphasizing the immigrant narrative of striving for a better future for their children.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speaker's life story?

The main theme of the speaker's life story is the journey of her immigrant parents, their sacrifices, resilience, and the impact they had on her life and success.

What challenges did the speaker face growing up in a homogeneous community?

The speaker faced challenges such as being treated differently, ridiculed, and ostracized due to her different ethnicity and appearance in a mostly Caucasian community.

Why did the speaker's parents move to Canada?

The speaker's parents moved to Canada in search of opportunities for themselves and their future children, as they came from different countries with dreams and aspirations.

What difficulties did the speaker's mother face after moving to Canada?

The speaker's mother faced difficulties such as her teaching degree not being recognized, working multiple jobs, and supporting her family back home financially.

How did the speaker's father start his life in Canada?

The speaker's father started his life in Canada with almost no money, few friends, no family, and limited English language skills. He initially worked in landscaping and on an assembly line before venturing into entrepreneurship.

How did the speaker's parents meet?

The speaker's parents met at a Latin club in downtown Toronto during a night out with friends.

What was the economic situation in Canada during the period of 1974 to 1982?

Canada experienced two recessions between 1974 and 1982, which greatly affected discretionary spending and led to near bankruptcy situations for many businesses, including the speaker's parents' horse farm.

How did the speaker's parents' backgrounds influence her own work ethic and success?

The speaker's parents' backgrounds, particularly their resilience and hard work, instilled in her a strong work ethic that translated into her success in education and her career in television.

What career change did the speaker make after completing her university degree?

The speaker made a career change from education to television by obtaining a diploma in broadcast journalism, which led her to become a news reporter, news anchor, and eventually a host.

What was the significance of the speaker's talk-show 'The Social'?

The significance of 'The Social' was that it represented the speaker's perseverance and tenacity, as well as the realization of her passion for television, and it was recognized by industry executives and her parents.

How did the speaker's immigrant background shape her identity and sense of self?

The speaker's immigrant background shaped her identity by making her proud of her heritage and understanding the sacrifices her parents made. It also influenced her sense of self as she learned to embrace being different and to value hard work and resilience.