Alex Ry

Zainah
Ancestry: Pakistani

"My family immigrated in 1996 — I was three years old. My dad came first, for a job opportunity, and my mom, sister, and I came five months later. Even though I essentially grew up in America, my Pakistani heritage is a strong part of who I am. It’s where I was born, it’s where I’m from. So much of my childhood was full of the culture and traditions that my mom grew up with in Pakistan. I think of myself as more American, because I’ve lived here for so long, but there is always that part of me — the Pakistani ancestry and culture — that I’m not going to be able to shake.

Sometimes it’s hard for me to put into words what is going on [in America today] — it’s very surreal to me. The reason so many people — so many Muslims — come to America, just like my parents, is for opportunity. They see it as a country for opportunity, for freedom. They see it as a better place. And now, with everything that’s going on, it doesn’t seem like that anymore."

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This is the first of many immigrant stories to come. You can follow along as we share more here: https://medium.com/immigrant-portrait-project.

anonymous.

model: Madison Reimer
hair/make-up: Jen Des Lauriers