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My name is Daniel Panit and I was born in Queens at St. John's Hospital on July 24, 1989. I went to Plainview Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School on Long Island. I currently attend Macaulay Honors College at CUNY Baruch and plan to pursue a major of Accountancy. I have spent most of my life in Long Island but for the first three years of my life I lived in Queens.
Both of my parents emigrated from the Philippines. My mother came from Manila, which is the capital city of the Philippines. My father came from the countryside. They both grew up in very large families. My mother was the second oldest of nine. My father was the youngest of seven.
My parents met through mutual friends while working in the Middle East. After returning to the Philippines, they got married. Soon after, my mother came to America. One year later, my mother sponsored my father and they were finally reunited. They came to America for the opportunity. It was my parents’ ultimate goal to come to America. They wanted to live the “American Dream.” Their professions, nursing and medical technology were easy passes to come to America.
Because English is the other official language of the Philippines there was not a huge shock when coming to America. Of course the customs and traditions of those around them were different, but knowing English lessened the shock of a completely new culture. Unlike other groups, there is no Filipino community because most come to America as nurses, so they settle around the hospital they work. Thus, my parents knew of many of their former co-workers and college peers who had come to America.
Although I was born in America, I consider myself Filipino-American. I eat Filipino food and speak the language language of Tagalog. I have only been to the Philippines twice in my life but I hope to return back to gain a better understanding of my country and her culture.
Email: daniel.panit@baruchmail.cuny.edu
