Duyan Beyan

I am a first generation immigrant. I was born in Monrovia, Liberia to two hardworking and determined parents. My family isn't orginally from Liberia. My great-grandparents lived in Brooklyn, New York. My great-grandfather was a doctor and my great-grandmother was a housewife. During that time period, life was extremely hard. They were comfortable, but did not recieve the same treatment as their white counterparts. My great-grandfather always strived for more, so in 1929 he joined Marcus Garvey's Back to Africa Movement. My great-grandparents took my grandfather and his siblings and they settled on the shores of Liberia, West Africa. In Liberia, my great-grandfather continued his practice and passed on his determinism to all his children. That trait has been passed down throughout my family. When my mother had my sister and I, there was a civil war outbreaking in Liberia. She struggled to protect us, work, and advocate at the same time. When conditions did not approve, she uprooted my family and migrated, just like her grandfather had. She brought us to the United States to secure a better life for us. My family never settles. If I have learned anything, it is to never be complacement. There is always something better out there, and I will never not strive for more.