I owe my success to my immigrant parents.

Hye everyone! My name is Atiqah Baiduri. I am born Lawas, Sarawak but my parents are from Indonesian. So you want to know why I owe my success to my immigrant parents? Because my parents like many other immigrant parents, did not live. They survived.
They survived by sacrificing blood, sweat and tears.
They were the generation of parents that endured horrific beginnings, faced traumatic losses, were stripped of pride, honor, respect and family.
They left behind everything they knew, and dove head-on into everything that was new. They were ridiculed for having an accent.
They were worked to the core, with outrageous jobs that required ridiculous hours. But they took it because they knew they had a family to support.

They ate very little so their children could fill their stomachs to the brim.

They slept less, so their children never had to endure sleepless nights.

They reclined on dusty spring mattresses on the cold floor with no blankets, but selflessly allowed their children to snuggle in-between them. Even if that meant it would rob away their own warmth.

They were hated on for taking up the jobs that were available, but loved for doing the jobs that nobody else wanted to do.

Every child of an immigrant has this unbreakable bond with their parents. Because we’ve seen it. The hard work and toil. We’ve witnessed it. The breaking down and crying in times of distress. We were it. Their counselors and cheerleaders in times of discouragement. And we experienced it all.
Yes, I owe my success to them. They're the reason, quitting will never be an option!

Atiqah Baiduri