By Mark Muckenfuss 

Started in 2014 by the I Stand With Immigrants Initiative, Immigrant Heritage Month is now in its 10th year of honoring the contributions of immigrants in the U.S. During June, hundreds of artists, participants, companies and organizations, representing all 50 states, will participate in events acknowledging the commemoration. 

CSU Monterey Bay President Vanya Quiñones says it is important to recognize the crucial role the immigrant experience plays in the university.

“Each of us brings different things to the table,” Quiñones said. “We can learn from the experiences of others who have walked different paths.”

In the past decade, Immigrant Heritage Month has “given people across the United States an opportunity to annually explore their own heritage and celebrate the shared diversity that forms the unique story of America,” the event’s official website says. 

In May of this year, President Joseph Biden, himself a descendent of immigrants, issued a proclamation giving Immigrant Heritage Month national recognition as a time to honor immigrants as “essential to America” and who “overcame incredible odds to build new lives in this promised land.”

Quiñones said it’s vital to recognize why people want to come to America. 

“People have this idea of the land of opportunity,” she said. “They want to be the next Rockefeller or Bill Gates. But their families all came here from somewhere else. They all came with a dream. That vision of the American dream is really what draws everyone here.”

The road to achieving that dream often runs through a university. 

“Like my grandmother, who emphasized the importance of education, many immigrant families understand the value of education and its power to transform lives,” Quiñones said.

In the coming weeks, CSUMB will publish a series of stories that highlight first- and second-generation immigrants who have made an impact on the university and in our local communities. 

Share Your First- and Second-Generation Immigrant story 
In celebration of Immigrant Heritage Month, the Office of the President and University Communications would like to hear about your experience of being an immigrant or a child of immigrants in the United States. Share your story using the Story/News request form.