Hi, everyone, my name is Elizabeth, and I work on the trading floor. But I'm still pretty new to it.
大家好，我是伊丽莎白，我在交易大厅工作。我刚进入这个行业不久。
I graduated from college about a year and a half ago,
大约一年半前我大学毕业，
and to be quite honest, I'm still recovering from the recruiting process I had to go through to get here.
老实说，我现在仍未从当时的应聘中恢复过来。
Now, I don't know about you, but this is the most ridiculous thing that I still remember about the whole process,
现在，我不知道你们的看法，但在我看来，整个过程中最荒谬的，
was asking insecure college students what their biggest passion was.
是问最没有安全感的大学生所拥有最大的热情是什么。
Like, do you expect me to have an answer for that?
就像，你们真的希望听到我的答案吗？
Of course I did. And to be quite honest,
我当然回答了。老实说，
I really showed those recruiters just how passionate I was by telling them all about my early interest in the global economy,
我向招聘人员讲述我很早就对全球经济产生兴趣，以此展示了我的热情，
which, conveniently, stemmed from the conversations that I would overhear my immigrant parents having about money and the fluctuating value of the Mexican peso.
这仅仅是源于我会偷听我的移民父母关于钱和波动的墨西哥比索币对话。
They love a good personal story. But you know what? I lied.
他们喜欢听亲身经历的故事。但是你知道吗？我撒了谎。
And not because the things I said weren't true -- I mean, my parents were talking about this stuff.
并不是因为我说的话不是真的，我的意思是，我的父母确实谈论这些东西。
But that's not really why I decided to jump into finance.
但这并不是我决定投身金融领域的真正原因。
I just really wanted to pay my rent. And here's the thing.
真正的原因是我需要支付房租。这就是事实。
The reality of having to pay my rent and do real adult things
必须支付房租和承担成人生活的事实
is something that we're rarely willing to admit to employers, to others and even to ourselves.
是我们很少愿意向雇主、他人，甚至是我们自己承认的。
I know I wasn't about to tell my recruiters that I was there for the money.
我知道我不会告诉招聘人员我去工作是为了挣钱。
And that's because for the most part,
因为在大多数情况下，
we want to see ourselves as idealists and as people who do what they believe in and pursue the things that they find the most exciting.
我们希望将自己视为理想主义者，追求自己的信念，并从事自认为最令人兴奋的工作。
But the reality is very few of us actually have the privilege to do that.
但现实是，我们当中很少有人能真正有这样做的特权。
Now, I can't speak for everyone, but this is especially true for young immigrant professionals like me.
我不能代表所有人，但这对于像我这样地道的年轻移民来说尤其如此。
And the reason this is true has something to do with the narratives that society has kept hitting us with in the news, in the workplace
原因确实与这个社会在新闻中、职场中对我们一直抨击的描述有关，
and even by those annoyingly self-critical voices in our heads.
甚至与我们脑海中那些烦人的自我批评的声音有关。
So what narratives am I referring to?
那么我指的是什么描述？
Well, there's two that come to mind when it comes to immigrants.
当谈到移民时，我想到了两点。
The first is the idea of the immigrant worker.
首先是移民工人的想法。
You know, people that come to the US in search of jobs as laborers, or field workers, dish washers.
你们知道，来到美国寻找工作机会的人，大多是劳工或建筑工人、洗碗工。
You know, things that we might consider low-wage jobs but the immigrants? That's a good opportunity.
你们知道，我们所认为的低薪工作，对于移民来说，那是一个很好的机会。
The news nowadays has convoluted that whole thing quite a bit.
如今的新闻使整个事情变得相当复杂。
You could say that it's made America's relationship with immigrants complicated.
你们可以说这使美国与移民的关系变得复杂。
And as immigrant expert George Borjas would have put it, it's kind of like America wanted workers,
正如移民专家乔治·博尔哈斯所说的那样，这有点像美国想要工人，
but then, they got confused when we got people instead.
但是后来，当我们找到移民的工人时，他们就感到困惑了。
I mean, it's natural that people want to strive to put a roof over their heads and live a normal life, right?
我的意思是，人们是自然地要努力为自己的房子铺上屋顶，过上正常的生活，对吗？
So for obvious reasons, this narrative has been driving me a little bit crazy. But it's not the only one.
因此出于显而易见的原因，这种描述使我有些疯狂。但这不是唯一的描述。
The other narrative that I'm going to talk about is the idea of the superimmigrant.
我要谈论的另一种描述是超级移民的想法。
In America, we love to idolize superimmigrants as the ideal symbols of American success.
在美国，我们喜欢将超级移民作为美国成功的理想象征。
I grew up admiring superimmigrants, because their existence fueled my dreams and it gave me hope.
我从小就喜欢超级移民，因为他们的存在孕育了我的梦想，并给了我希望。
The problem with this narrative is that it also seems to cast a shadow on those that don't succeed or that don't make it in that way, as less than.
这种描述的问题在于，它似乎也给那些没有成功或没有成为超级移民的人蒙上阴影。
And for years, I got caught up in the ways in which it seemed to celebrate one type of immigrant while villainizing the other.
多年来，我困在了一边庆祝这种移民，而一边排斥另一种移民的过程中。
I mean, were my parents' sacrifices not enough?
我的意思是，我父母的牺牲还不够吗？
Was the fact that my dad came home from the metal factory covered in corrosive dust, was that not super?
我父亲每天从金属工厂回家，身上覆盖着腐蚀性粉尘，难道他不是超级的吗？
Don't get me wrong, I've internalized both of these narratives to some degree,
不要误会我的意思，我在某种程度上已经将这两种描述都内化，
and in many ways, seeing my heroes succeed, it has pushed me to do the same.
并且在许多方面，我看到我的英雄们成功了，这大大激励了我自己。
But both of these narratives are flawed in the ways
但是如果这两种描述都有缺陷，
in which they dehumanize people if they don't fit within a certain mold or succeed in a certain way.
如果人们不适合某条路或不能以某种方式取得成功，那么它们在使人失去人性。
And this really affected my self-image, because I started to question these ideas for who my parents were and who I was,
这确实影响了我的自我形象，因为我开始质疑这些想法，以了解我的父母是谁和我是谁，
and I started to wonder, "Am I doing enough to protect my family and my community from the injustices that we felt every day?"
并且我开始怀疑，我是否已尽全力保护我的家人和社区免受我们每天都感受到的不公正对待。
So why did I choose to "sell out" while watching tragedies unfold right in front of me?
那么为什么在观看这么多眼前的悲剧之后，我还是选择留下来呢？
Now, it took me a long time to come to terms with my decisions.
现在，我花了很长时间来遵从自己的决定。
And I really have to thank the people running the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, or HSF, for validating this process early on.
我真的要感谢运行西班牙裔美国人奖学金基金会的人们早日验证了这个过程。
And the way that HSF -- an organization that strives to help students achieve higher education through mentorship and scholarships
HSF致力于通过指导和奖学金来帮助学生获得高等教育的组织，
the way that they helped calm my anxiety, it was by telling me something super familiar.
也是他们帮助我缓解焦虑的一种方式，那就是告诉我一些非常熟悉的知识。

Something that you all probably have heard before in the first few minutes after boarding a flight.
那些知识往往在登机后最初几分钟内你们可能会听到。
In case of an emergency, put your oxygen mask on first before helping those around you.
万一发生紧急情况，请先戴上自己的氧气面罩，然后再帮助周围的人。
Now I understand that this means different things to different people.
现在我知道这对不同的人来说，含义会有所不同。
But for me, it meant that immigrants couldn't and would never be able to fit into any one narrative,
但对我来说，这意味着移民不可能，而且永远也无法适应任何一种描述，
because most of us are actually just traveling along a spectrum, trying to survive.
因为我们大多数人实际上只是在一定空间旅行，试图生存。
And although there may be people that are further along in life with their oxygen mask on and secured in place,
尽管可能有些人很早就戴着氧气面罩并在一个地方固定好了，
there are undoubtedly going to be others that are still struggling to put theirs on before they can even think about helping those around them.
但是无疑会有其他人在努力地戴上自己的口罩，然后帮助周围的人。
Now, this lesson really hit home for me,
现在，这个教训对我来说真的至关重要，
because my parents, while they wanted us to be able to take advantage of opportunities in a way
因为我的父母虽然希望我们能够利用机会，
that we wouldn't have been able to do so anywhere else, I mean, we were in America,
在其他地方无法利用的机会，我的意思是我们在美国，
and so as a child, this made me have these crazy, ambitious and elaborate dreams for what my future could look like.
在我小时候，这使我对自己的未来充满了疯狂、雄心勃勃和精心设计的梦想。
But the ways in which the world sees immigrants, it affects more than just the narratives in which they live.
但是世界看待移民的方式，影响的不仅仅是对他们生活的描述。
It also impacts the ways laws and systems can affect communities, families and individuals.
还影响法律和制度对社区、家庭和个人的影响。
I know this firsthand, because these laws and systems, well, they broke up my family, and they led my parents to return to Mexico.
我自己知道，因为这些法律和制度使我的家庭破裂，并导致我的父母返回墨西哥。
And at 15, my eight-year-old brother and I, we found ourselves alone and without the guidance that our parents had always provided us with.
在15岁的时候，我和我8岁的弟弟发现我们独自留在美国，没有父母一直为我们提供意见。
Despite being American citizens, we both felt defeated by what we had always known to be the land of opportunity.
尽管是美国公民，我们俩都被我们一直以来所认为的机遇之地打败了。
Now, in the weeks that followed my parents' return to Mexico, when it became clear that they wouldn't be able to come back,
现在，在我父母回到墨西哥的几周之后，当他们显然无法回来时，
I had to watch as my eight-year-old brother was pulled out of school to be with his family.
我不得不看着我八岁的弟弟被辍学，和我的家人在一起。
And during this same time, I wondered if going back would be validating my parents' sacrifices.
而在同一时间，我想知道我如果放弃，是否可以对得起我父母的牺牲。
And so I somehow convinced my parents to let me stay, without being able to guarantee them that I'd find somewhere to live or that I'd be OK.
因此我以某种方式说服了我的父母让我留下，但无法向他们保证我会找到可以住的地方，或者我会没事的。
But to this day, I will never forget how hard it was having to say goodbye.
但是直到今天，我永远都不会忘记不得不说再见的痛苦。
And I will never forget how hard it was watching my little brother crumble in their arms as I waved goodbye from the other side of steel grates.
我无法忘记当我在铁门的一侧与他们挥手告别时，看着弟弟在他们的怀中崩溃时我有多难过。
Now, it would be naive to credit grit as the sole reason for why I've been able to take advantage of so many opportunities since that day.
现在，如果我认为勇气是从那天起我抓住这么多机会的唯一原因，这就太天真了。
I mean, I was really lucky, and I want you to know that.
我的意思是，我真的很幸运，我希望你们知道这一点。
Because statistically speaking, students that are homeless or that have unstable living conditions, well, they rarely complete high school.
从统计学上讲，无家可归或生活条件不稳定的学生，很少会读完高中。
But I do think that it was because my parents had the trust in letting me go
但是我确实认为这是因为我的父母信任我、放任我，
that I somehow found the courage and strength to take on opportunities even when I felt unsure or unqualified.
即使我感到不确定或能力不够时，我仍然拥有勇于尝试的勇气和力量。
Now, there's no denying that there is a cost to living the American dream.
现在，无可否认，实现美国梦是有很大代价的。
You do not have to be an immigrant or the child of immigrants to know that.
你不必一定是移民或移民子女就可以知道这一点。
But I do know that now, today, I am living something close to what my parents saw as their American dream.
但是我确实知道，今天，我过着接近父母视为美国梦的生活。
Because as soon as I graduated from college,
因为大学毕业后
I flew my younger brother to the United States to live with me, so that he, too, could pursue his education.
我便将弟弟带到美国与我同住，以便他也可以继续他的学业不过。
Still, I knew that it would be hard flying my little brother back.
我知道让我的弟弟回去是很难的。
I knew that it would be hard having to balance the demands and professionalism required of an entry-level job
我知道要平衡第一份工作的需求和专业性，
while being responsible for a child with dreams and ambitions of his own.
同时成为一个充满梦想和抱负的孩子的监护人，这有多难。
But you can imagine how fun it is to be 24 years old, at the peak of my youth,
但是你可以想象，在我24岁这年，一个花样青年，
living in New York, with an angsty teenage roommate who hates doing the dishes. The worst.
住在纽约，与一个讨厌洗碗的调皮青少年室友在一起这是多么有趣。不能更糟了。
But when I see my brother learning how to advocate for himself,
但当我看到我的弟弟学习如何为自己辩护时，
and when I see him get excited about his classes and school, I do not doubt anything.
当我看到他对自己的课程和学习感到兴奋时，我一点也不怀疑。
Because I know that this bizarre, beautiful and privileged life that I now live
因为我知道我现在过的这种奇怪、美丽和特权般的生活，
is the true reason for why I decided to pursue a career that would help me and my family find financial stability.
才是我决定从事这份工作的真正原因，从事一份可以帮助我和我的家人财务稳定的职业。
I did not know it back then, but during those eight years that I lived without my family, I had my oxygen mask on and I focused on survival.
那时我还不知道，但是在我没有家人的八年里，我戴上了氧气面罩，只为生存。
And during those same eight years, I had to watch helplessly the pain and hurt that it caused my family to be apart.
在那八年的时间里，我不得不无助地看着痛苦和伤害，这种痛苦和伤害使我的家人分开了。
What airlines don't tell you is that putting your oxygen mask on first while seeing those around you struggle -- it takes a lot of courage.
航空公司没有告诉你的是，首先要戴上氧气面罩，然后看到身边的人挣扎着，这需要很大的勇气。
But being able to have that self-control is sometimes the only way that we are able to help those around us.
但是有时候自我控制能力是我们能够帮助周围人的唯一途径。
Now I'm super lucky to be in a place where I can be there for my little brother
现在，我很幸运能陪伴在我的弟弟身边，
so that he feels confident and prepared to take on whatever he chooses to do next.
让他感到自信，并准备接下来该做的事。
But I also know that because I am in this position of privilege,
但是我也知道，因为我处于这个特权位置，
I also have the responsibility to make sure that my community finds spaces where they can find guidance, access and support.
所以我还有责任确保我的社区可以获得指导、机会和支持。
I can't claim to know where each and every one of you are on your journey through life,
我无法知道你们每个人在人生旅途中所处的位置，
but I do know that our world is one that flourishes when different voices come together.
但是我确实知道，当不同的声音汇聚在一起时，我们的世界将蓬勃发展。
My hope is that you will find the courage to put your oxygen mask on when you need to,
我的希望是，你将有勇气在必要时戴上自己的氧气面罩，
and that you will find the strength to help those around you when you can. Thank you.
并在可能的时候尽力为周围的人提供帮助。谢谢。