I was born in Chicago, raised in Evanston and Naperville. I never saw myself as an immigrant. I had a supportive and comfortable childhood my entire life and never really faced any form of struggle. Being in a sort of bubble surrounded by upper middle class white people wearing vineyard vines and Patagonia, I found myself very focused on where I was and where I was going to end up. I didn’t really think of anything else other than one, I need to make money and two, I needed to keep this lifestyle.
And for awhile, that is exactly what I focused on. I decided to go to school for premed, hoping to be a plastic surgeon just to make money even when I knew my real passion was for fashion. I boxed up my memories of baby Yusra flipping through pages of vogue looking over each high fashion ad. I ignored my thoughts about when I would stay up late nights in high school reading articles on Cosmopolitan and People. It seemed trivial. It seemed like an unrealistic career path.
My passions put aside, I went to NYU and started the premed track that I promised myself would be good for me. It was safe to say my first semester was the absolute worst time of my life. Why wouldn’t it be? Imagine being a creative person your entire life with a passion for art and writing and thens spending five days a week memorizing formulas and chemicals. It was horrible. I was completely focusing my energies on chemistry and math classes, forcing myself to learn about things I didn’t care about. It wasn’t until I left NYU and came back home to reground myself that I truly realized how important it is to follow your dreams, especially as an immigrant, no matter what generation.
I never viewed myself as an immigrant, and to be honest, it still feels a little unnatural. It wasn’t until I met Ruben Flores, the founder of The Immigrant Project, that I realized I actually am one. Over coffee at Starbucks on a chilly Chicago afternoon, I remember Ruben’s face lighting up as he explained why it’s so important to realize who we are and where we come from. He smiled as he told me that even though I was born here, I still have a story. My family has a story, and our stories collectively are what make this country what it is. Immigrants are the backbone of America, and I am a part of it.
That was the first day I realized that even though I didn’t come here from Pakistan like my parents, being an immigrant runs in my blood. Even though I haven’t gone through the struggles of moving to Manhattan when I was seven like my dad and having to learn English surrounded by people who have known it since birth, I carry his legacy. My parents left their country to reach the potential they knew was within them, and I Even though I didn’t leave a life of privilege in Pakistan behind at 26 like my mom, I am a result of her hard work and changes. She went from having drivers and security guards and maids with her at all times, to Chicago where she had to learn to do laundry and run a household on her own. Every hardship they endured, every slur and insult they brushed off their shoulders, and every success they have shared: I share them too. I am where I am because of my immigrant parents and their support. And it was because of their support of my writing and love for fashion that I am now at DePaul studying Journalism and hoping to write for fashion magazines in the future. After NYU, they told me that I needed to do what I really love, and that if I really love it, I will succeed. And that is exactly what I am doing now.
When I was little, I never saw brown people in magazines. I never saw bylines by people with names that sounded like mine. In the fashion industry, or really any industry, there is a lack of representation of people of color, many of which are immigrants. I find that absurd. Look anywhere. Medicine, fashion, engineering, wellness. Any field, a majority of the latest news and breakthroughs come from people that aren’t born americans. These are immigrants, these are people who lead industries from behind but never get to see the spotlight. I may not be a first generation immigrant, but I see their importance, and I see their struggles.
Everyone, regardless of generation, has a responsibility to make their voice heard. I have an amazing opportunity where I can make my voice heard by using my passions for writing and make the changes within the fashion industry that I want to. But more importantly, I also have the opportunity to give a voice to immigrants everywhere. Working with Ruben and the Immigrant Project, I will be running the blog and social media, sharing stories, thoughts, and works of immigrants from all around. The Immigrant Project works to create a voice for everyone, and create a community for immigrants to connect and inspire each other. Support within a community is always the most important thing, and the Immigrant Project works to do exactly that. I am so excited to be part of this and help everyone inspire the community and share their voices. We as immigrants make up a vast majority of the United States, and it is finally time to have our stories shared and shine the spotlight on us.
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