My parents are Venezuelan, and they permanently moved to the United States before I was born and later on became naturalized citizens. My father first came here to do a surgical residency after studying medicine in his home country, before leaving and then coming back later on with my mother.
My sister and I were raised as Americans and our family holds a deep love for this country, while still sharing strong ties with our Venezuelan family members who still live in a nation that is slowly but surely falling apart. We could not be more grateful for the life and opportunity that we have been given here.