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.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Embracing Diversity and the Pursuit of Opportunity

The speaker reflects on their life-long journey of identity, shaped by their multicultural background as a child of Filipino and Portuguese immigrants in Canada. They discuss the challenges of assimilation in a predominantly Caucasian community and the resilience of their parents, who sought opportunities in a new country despite hardships. The speaker's mother, a teacher from the Philippines, and father, a former military man from Portugal, both faced significant struggles and worked tirelessly to support their families and achieve their dreams. Their stories highlight the common immigrant experience of hard work, sacrifice, and the pursuit of a better life for their children.

05:03

🏠 Building a Life from Scratch: The Immigrant Entrepreneur

This paragraph delves into the entrepreneurial spirit of the speaker's father, who started from humble beginnings in Canada and gradually built a successful horse farm business. Despite facing economic recessions and financial hardships, the family persevered, and the business eventually thrived, even garnering media attention. The speaker also touches on the broader impact of immigration on Canada, highlighting how immigrants contribute to the country's education and economic success, and how their children often surpass their parents' achievements, thanks to the high expectations and strong work ethic instilled by their immigrant parents.

10:05

🎓 From Education to Identity Crisis: A Journey of Self-Discovery

The speaker shares their personal educational achievements and the work ethic they developed from their upbringing on a horse farm. Despite excelling in school and beginning a career in education, the speaker experienced a quarter-life crisis, questioning their true calling. After a period of introspection and with the support of a business coach and psychologist, they made a bold transition from education to journalism, a field they were passionate about. This leap of faith led to a successful career in television, where they have covered significant events, interviewed influential figures, and continued to challenge themselves professionally.

15:07

🏆 Achievements and the Immigrant Legacy

In the final paragraph, the speaker expresses gratitude for their parents' sacrifices and the foundation they provided, enabling them to achieve their dreams. They recount moments of personal and professional triumph, including creating and hosting a successful talk show, and receiving recognition from industry leaders. The speaker acknowledges the pride their parents have for their accomplishments, which they view as the ultimate goal of their parents' immigrant journey. The narrative concludes with a celebration of their identity as the child of immigrants and the legacy of resilience and ambition they carry forward.

Keywords

💡Ethnicity

Ethnicity refers to a group of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes such as cultural heritage, ancestry, language, and social norms. In the video, the speaker's ethnicity is a point of curiosity for others, and it is a significant part of their identity narrative. The speaker mentions being asked about their ethnicity from a young age, indicating its importance in shaping their personal experiences and interactions within a predominantly Caucasian community.

💡Assimilation

Assimilation is the process by which an individual or group adopts the cultural traits of another group. In the context of the video, the speaker discusses how acceptance in their community was achieved through assimilation, which involved minimizing differences and conforming to the dominant culture. This concept is central to understanding the challenges faced by the speaker in their community and the broader theme of cultural identity.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or to withstand hardships. The speaker's parents are described as resilient, having moved across the world in search of opportunity and overcoming significant challenges to establish a life in Canada. Their resilience is a key theme in the video, illustrating the strength and determination required to build a new life in a foreign country.

💡Immigrant

An immigrant is a person who moves to another country with the intention of residing there permanently. The video focuses on the experiences of the speaker's parents, who are immigrants from the Philippines and Portugal, respectively. Their stories highlight the struggles, sacrifices, and contributions of immigrants to Canadian society, emphasizing the importance of immigration in shaping the country's cultural and economic landscape.

💡Opportunity

Opportunity refers to a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something or a favorable juncture for action. The speaker's parents sought opportunity in Canada, leaving their home countries for a chance at a better life. The concept of opportunity is central to the narrative, as it drives the actions of the immigrants and represents the promise of a new life.

💡Recession

A recession is a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced. The video mentions the impact of two recessions on Canada between 1974 and 1982, which affected the speaker's family business. The economic downturn is used to illustrate the challenges faced by the family and the broader economic context affecting immigrants and their livelihoods.

💡Work Ethic

Work ethic refers to a belief in the importance of hard work and diligence. The speaker's father is described as having a strong work ethic, which is a key value passed down to the speaker. The concept of work ethic is integral to the video's message, as it is presented as a driving force behind the family's success and a fundamental aspect of the immigrant experience.

💡Education

Education is the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, values, and habits. The speaker discusses the high expectations their immigrant parents had for their education, which is a common theme among immigrant families. The emphasis on education is tied to the belief that it leads to better opportunities and a higher quality of life.

💡Success

Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. In the video, the speaker's success in their career is a direct result of their parents' sacrifices and the values instilled in them. The concept of success is used to demonstrate the fulfillment of the immigrant dream and the realization of the parents' aspirations for their children.

💡Identity

Identity refers to the characteristics determining who or what a person or thing is. The speaker grapples with their identity, particularly in relation to their ethnicity and career choices. The theme of identity is explored through the speaker's personal journey, highlighting the complexities of self-discovery and the influence of cultural and familial expectations.

💡Dream

A dream is an aspiration or a cherished wish. The video discusses the 'Canadian dream' that the speaker's parents sought to achieve, which is a metaphor for the broader aspirations of immigrants seeking a better life. The concept of the dream is central to the narrative, symbolizing the hopes and ambitions that drive individuals to overcome obstacles and pursue their goals.

Highlights

The speaker reflects on the question of their identity and ethnicity, which they've been asked since a young age.

Raised in a predominantly Caucasian community, the speaker discusses the pressures of assimilation and the challenges of being visibly different.

The speaker's parents emigrated from the Philippines and Portugal seeking opportunities, showcasing their resilience and hard work.

The mother's journey from the Philippines to Canada, taking on multiple jobs to support her family and her siblings' education.

The father's entrepreneurial spirit, moving to Canada with limited resources and eventually establishing a successful horse farm.

The story of the parents' meeting at a club, which led to their marriage and the formation of a multicultural family.

The economic challenges faced by the family during the recessions of the 1970s and 1980s and their perseverance.

The speaker's academic achievements, excelling in school and obtaining a university degree with high distinction.

The speaker's career shift from education to journalism, driven by a passion for news and storytelling.

The launch of the speaker's talk show, 'The Social', and the recognition from a network president.

The speaker's experiences covering significant events and interviewing influential figures, including celebrities and world leaders.

The speaker discusses the immigrant experience in Canada, highlighting the contributions of immigrants to the country's education and economy.

The impact of immigrant parents' high expectations on their children's pursuit of higher education and future success.

The speaker's realization that hard work and resilience are key to achieving one's dreams, as exemplified by their parents.

The speaker's identity as a proud daughter of Filipino-Canadian and Portuguese-Brazilian parents, who sacrificed for a better future.

The speaker concludes with a message of gratitude for the opportunities provided by their parents and the Canadian dream.

Transcripts

[Music]

what are you I guess that's the question

I have been asked most throughout my

entire life starting at a really young

age maybe three four or five and usually

what the person wanted to know was my

ethnicity the thing is this is not

always something that I wanted to share

so readily I was raised in a homogeneous

mostly Caucasian community where

acceptance there came by way of drastic

assimilation not by drawing attention to

your differences

so being different like having brown

skin or having yellow skin maybe

speaking with an accent you were treated

differently you were ridiculed perhaps

you were even ostracized yes I wanted to

be known as a human first not as a

Filipino Portuguese Brazilian like what

are you again but here's the thing not

fitting in yeah

that's pretty difficult but my parents

they packed up

they picked up and they moved across the

world from their respective countries in

search of opportunity for themselves and

their future children now that takes

resilience so who is the beneficiary of

their toil of their tears

well me for sure but I'm gonna argue in

fact all of us all of us who call this

great country of Canada home my abundant

mother was born in the Philippines she

was one of seven children and she

emigrated to Canada when she was just 28

she was looking as many immigrants were

looking for more opportunities and she

bought almost the sole financial

responsibility of supporting her family

all back home and then sponsoring each

one of them to come to Canada her

teaching degree was not recognized here

so she did various jobs until she

finally landed something full-time with

the municipal government in housing so

for the next two years she worked almost

seven days a week

so from 8:30 in the morning until five

o'clock in the afternoon that was her

day job and then she did her night job

six to ten o'clock at then see

our IP and all of this was for one goal

yes certainly to support herself but it

was also to financially support paying

the tuition of her siblings back home

and supporting her family well around

the same time a young man from Portugal

fresh out of active military he decided

to leave his family and his country to

begin to fulfill this wild dream of

training horses he traveled around

Europe he wanted to learn from all of

the Masters and then he realized that

what he wanted to create he was already

flourishing right across Europe and that

was setting new sights then on where

could he fulfill this dream and that's

when he set his sights on the New World

Canada with almost no money few friends

no family and just barely this much

English he landed in Toronto to a

growing Portuguese community so he

didn't know the language but what he did

know was work and he didn't know how to

work very very hard he found refuge on

friends couches strangers couches he

finally got a lucky break getting a job

landscaping and then finally on an

assembly line building cars but his

entrepreneurial spirit started to bubble

up again so he got together with a few

friends and with their money they were

able to buy an apartment up top and it

actually had a grocery store on the

bottom so overnight he literally became

a landlord and a grocer and over time he

was able to put enough money together to

begin achieving his dream of horse farm

fame okay so this is where uh sure

the singer enters my parents story so

you may the know the song and if you do

feel free to sing along with me

I wanna make love in this club in this

club you know that song you know that

song and if you don't just get it on

your album music or Spotify afterwards

it's a good tune okay that wasn't

exactly my parents story if it was I

don't want to know about it but it was

more like they fell in love at the club

so one fateful night my mother and her

girlfriends had a very rare night away

out of work and they decided to go to a

club and that same night

my dad and a few of his friends they

ended up landing at that same club it

was a Latin club in downtown Toronto my

mother's friends all said no to dance

with this Portuguese stranger my mother

reluctantly said yes and you know he

must have been a really really good

dancer because less than two years later

they were married at City Hall and that

was 1973 so four years later I entered

the picture followed by my sister

Rosanna my father took his little nest

egg of savings after selling the

apartment in the grocery store he

combined it with my mother's meager but

steady government salary they obtained a

hefty mortgage I'm talking 20% interest

rate and higher and they bought a 20

acre farm in Caledon Ontario my father

slowly built up his clientele he started

knocking on neighbors doors he was

advertising his horseback-riding

business and one client turned into two

and then three then he had one horse a

couple horses 20 horses plus boarders so

he was completely on his own though

doing this couldn't afford any employees

so he was doing everything by himself

teaching training feeding mucking

watering turning out the horses

providing first aid he was doing it all

starting at 5:30 in the morning my

mother tells me she would never see him

until past ten o'clock every single

night seven days a week

my mother meantime she was commuting two

hours one way to downtown Toronto she

was balancing her job two young girls a

live-in mother she was exhausted he was

exhausted needless to say for both of

them rest was elusive but life was about

to get much harder between 1974 and 1982

Canada was hit hard by not one but two

recessions so discretionary spending on

fluffy things like horses yeah that

nosedived big-time the books were in the

red they faced near bankruptcy numerous

times took some time but the economy

eventually recovered the business slowly

got back in track and then started to

grow toronto star even wrote about it so

I shared my parents stories with you

not because they are extraordinary but

because they are extraordinarily

common my mother was one of more than

220,000 Filipinos that had entered

Canada from the early 70s through to 95

and most of the people were just like

her women aged 20 to 30 for Roman

Catholic relatively well-educated

proficient in English my father was one

of 55,000 Portuguese who immigrated here

just between 68 and 73 and this marks

the beginning of a brand new Canada a

change in Canada's immigration rules in

1967 - a merit-based point system

resulted in a massive shift of newcomers

where once 60% of newcomers were coming

from Europe mostly from the UK now more

people than ever were immigrating from

East India South Asia the Philippines

and 48% were visible minorities so back

then people were fearing this influx of

new faces but study after study after

study have shown one thing immigrants

make Canada better it's that simple an

internal report from the Immigration

Department credits immigrants for making

Canada one of the best educated

countries in the entire world so why is

this well not only do newcomers often

have university degrees it's their high

expectations for their children's

academic achievements that actually

appear to lead to the pursuit of higher

education in those very children in this

study 36 percent of the children of

immigrants aged 25 to 35 held university

degrees compared to 24% of their peers

with Canadian born parents so what

accounts for the difference in these

numbers expectation immigrant parents

expect their children to seek higher

education and in turn more due and

higher education leads to higher incomes

according to a study based on the 2016

census we me the second generation of

Canadians will out earn our parents no

matter where our parents come from

Europe Asia Southeast Asia Africa South

America as

as their children we will out earn them

20 to 50 percent in our lifetime so if

you are in this room right now and

you're somewhere between maybe your mid

30s to mid 40s this is us our success is

the realization of their dreams their

hard work their high expectations our

success is because of their resilience

and that resilience is contagious my

sister and I were born to a start-up

horse farm business and my father who is

a man of many things told us this you

know the son of a fish must learn how to

swim it's a good saying right make sense

let that one sink in yes so he owns a

horse business and he has two daughters

and guess what we are in the horse

business and if you have a farm of any

sort your value on the farm is based on

one thing and one thing alone how hard

you were so you heard all those tours

that my dad did well starting around age

four and five we picked up the exact

same chores seven days a week after

school and on weekends and in fact this

was my entire life until I left home in

my mid-twenties the work ethic I

developed on the farm translated I

believe into my success in school and in

life

so I worked hard I excelled in all

levels of education I graduated high

school with an over 90% average I went

on to attain a university degree my

Bachelor of Arts in psychology and

French with a second degree in education

in the intermediate senior division

teaching in grade 7 through to the end

of high school I graduated University

summa laude with the highest

distinction my mother especially proud

of that one so my father however he does

not actually have a post-secondary

degree but he believed that hard work

could get you farther than just smarts

alone he would say things like and still

says things like you know you don't need

a degree to be a bricklayer and I hear

they make really good money okay there

you go so listen I did not become a

bricklayer but as I said I did become a

grade seven and eight teacher and a few

years later after that I began

the master's program for gender equity

and education but that's when my world

as I knew it screeched to a complete

halt enter the quarter life crisis this

was it I was in my mid-twenties and

after years and thousands of dollars

spent in post-secondary education

working hard to make my parents proud

upholding their very high expectations

for me I no longer believed that

teaching was my calling I was having an

identity crisis of a new kind at this

point in my life listen I loved school I

loved being a student was I really

considering quitting a university

master's program yes yes I was and I was

totally torn up about it I've never been

a quitter

that's just me and I never wanted to

disappoint my parents and guess what I

was about to do both of those things so

here's the thing that I learned about

myself at this what I call the TSN

turning point of my life um just because

something comes easily to you it doesn't

mean it's the right path to follow the

lane of least resistance is simply not

for everyone

teaching yes it did come very naturally

to me but it didn't scare me enough and

it didn't challenge me

to stretch and to grow every single day

and that's when I did it I looked over

the cliff

I felt the fear of starting a new career

and I jumped after six months of

soul-searching with the help of a

business coach and a psychologist I

landed on journalism a long-held passion

of this news junkie so I made the giant

leap from education to television by

obtaining a diploma in broadcast

journalism so I got my first job on air

before I even completed the course and I

simply haven't looked back since

in 2011 several years into co-hosting

Toronto's number one Morning Show cp24

breakfast I pitched a talk-show idea to

see TV executives a few years later the

social was born

was very proud of my perseverance and my

tenacity but what made my achievement

especially sweet came the day of our

very first live show when we launched

the entire series when then president

the then president pulled aside and

spoke to my mother and he said do you

know how many people pitch me shows

every single day and then he said you

know how many of them actually make it

to air almost none but this one did you

should be very proud of your daughter so

there is a massive and highly talented

team that has been behind the

development and success of the show but

I credit the work ethic and confidence

instilled in me by my parents for having

the courage to follow the thing that

lights my soul on fire and that's

television it's been 12 years and I've

been challenged every single day on the

job I've been a news reporter a news

anchor and now a host and this job has

taken me to places I never imagined I

could go I went to the United States to

cover the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

in 2005 I co-hosted in a career high the

Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler in

2010 I've traveled to Hollywood to cover

the Academy Awards and I've interviewed

changemakers celebrities and news makers

like a few people you may recognize

Prince Harry Prime Minister Trudeau

actors Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo

Ryan Reynolds who is just as hot in

person ladies in case you were wondering

I do also do charitable work with Prince

Charles I've interviewed dr. Oz PK Subin

Chelsea Clinton Taylor Swift Sandra Oh

and oh oh oh so many more there have

been many pinch-me moments in my life

and I think for my parents as well but

I'm just guessing because I think in

true immigrant fashion parents don't

tell you to your face that they're proud

of you they just brag about you to

everybody else when you're not around

yeah but I think that I knew that I must

have made them proud recently because

they remarked to me several years ago

they said you know we don't have to

worry about you anymore and that was

probably the best compliment I could

have received

you see the fruit of their labor was not

necessarily their own success but rather

seeing their children succeed there's my

parents now there they are so when

someone asked me today what are you I

respond with the question is not what am

i it's Who am I I am the very proud

daughter of a Filipino Canadian mother

and a Portuguese Brazilian Canadian

father who sacrificed almost everything

to create and attained the Canadian

dream not just to achieve their own

goals but to provide the foundation for

their children for me to shoot for the

stars and to chase mine thank you

[Applause]