An Immigrant Success Story

I get angry when I hear people demean immigrants and feel they've come to the US for a free ride.  For most, that couldn't be farther from the truth.  Take Hamdi Ulukaya, a Turkish immigrant who came to America in 1994 to learn English and go to business school.  His family business in Turkey was sheep and cow farming, and making yogurt and cheese.  Business school did not work ut, so on advice of his father, he started a small cheese manufacturing facility.

Hamdi's cheese business was struggling to stay above water, when in 2005 he stumbled across an ad for a yogurt manufacturing plant near Utica, New York.  Against the advice of his friends, he bought the plan, hired a few workers, and Chobani was born.

The rest is history.  Chobani is getting ready to go public, and their loyal employees will share in the wealth, some expected to net over $1 million.  My point is that Hamdi Ulukaya came to America for the opportunity it offered.  He took that opportunity and ran with it.  He wasn't looking for a handout, just a better life.

Hamdi is just one example of millions of immigrants who are great contributors to American society.  Many years ago a housekeeper and nanny of mine, Lila, left our house to start her own business.  Within three years she had two flower shops in Los Angeles!  Another nanny that I had for many years came from Guatemala.  She came to America (I'm not sure how she got here) to earn money to send home to her family, to help support her little girl, and hopefully, accumulate enough money to bring her daughter here.  She finally did that, after 10 years, and her daughter came here and went to high school, on to college and then graduate school, and is now a registered dietician.  I could go on and on, but I won't.  Immigrants add to the culture the cuisine, and the economy of our country.  They're what we, or our ancestors all were at one time or another.  We're not called the "Land of opportunity" for nothing.  America gives you opportunity.  What you do with it is up to you.  Let's keep America the land of opportunity for all, keep it diverse, keep it interesting.  That's what I want.