When I was 12, my cousins arrived to this country for the first time from Vietnam. They were all my age, 12 and 13, and they were sent by their parents to pave the way for the rest of their family to come. What that means is that they were given the responsibility of obtaining an education, getting a job, and then saving enough money to sponsor more family members from Vietnam or to help support family members living in extreme poverty in Vietnam. They were the hope for the future health of our family between two shores separated by a massive body of water. They were part of the wave of “boat...