Cheryl Neufville is as American as they come. But she doesn’t hide the fact that being a second-generation immigrant comes with some issues. There are the small struggles of balancing American culture with the mother culture, and for Cheryl, often these can be endearing. But then there’s the reality of racism. And there’s the pain of there being less expected of her because she’s a daughter of an immigrant. But Cheryl’s best coping mechanism is this: outperforming everyone’s expectations. She’s the first in her family to go to college and she’s currently pursuing dancing and nursing. But she’s taking things up a notch this summer: she’s taking her dancing and nursing skills to Africa where she’ll be conducting health clinics and teaching dance. For her, she’s always coped with her difficult circumstances through dance. And now she’s passing it onto others who have their own life struggles.
Hear the rest of her story in this week’s podcast episode.