Second Generation:
Making Connections to My Heritage, While Paving My Future
Being second generation means carrying a legacy that was built before I ever arrived
One shaped by resilience, sacrifice, and an unwavering belief in possibility. My story begins long before me, with my grandparents, who immigrated from Ireland in search of opportunity and landed in New York City. They met there, built a life together, and eventually moved to Southern California with little money but an abundance of determination.
My grandfather worked long hours in the mines, often sacrificing his health and comfort so his family could have the security he never had. My grandmother balanced compassion and grit as a labor and delivery nurse, spending her days helping other families welcome new beginnings. Together, they built a foundation of hard work, humility, and hope—one that would shape the generations after them.
16th Nov. 2025
Elizabeth Cox
My mom grew up with limited financial resources, but never with a shortage of love or encouragement. She took their sacrifices to heart, earning her degree from UCLA and dedicating her career to teaching English to immigrant and refugee youth. Her life became a full-circle tribute to the journey her own parents took—honoring their story by supporting others navigating new beginnings. Her path eventually led her across the country to North Carolina, where she met my dad and built the life that would become the starting point for my own.
As a second-generation child of immigrants, I’ve learned that identity is a blend of inheritance and intention. I carry my grandparents’ work ethic, my mom’s commitment to service, and the quiet courage embedded in every decision they made to create a better life. But I also carry a responsibility, to honor that history not only by remembering it, but by building on it.
Paving my future means choosing purpose over expectation, curiosity over comfort, and impact over ease. It means using the opportunities their sacrifices made possible to create something even bigger, whether through leadership, philanthropy, community work, or the industries I aspire to shape.