Bragging!

My grandson Isaac Wei Jai Pressman (his middle name means “remarkable” in Chinese) was notified officially that he is a National Merit Semifinalist.  On my side he is Jewish and on his brilliant mother Linh’s side he is Chinese.  Her family were part of an ethnic minority in Vietnam and came to America as boat people.  Linh arrived at age 4, not knowing English, but entered UCLA at age 16.

 I wrote the following to Isaac when I heard the good news: 

I am so proud of you! The actual confirmation made my day.

It is incredible that you are doing so well at such a tough school.  It’s also impressive that you are at the same time such a good basketball player.  If you had taller parents and grandparents, you’d be in the NBA in a few years!

Speaking of grandparents, I know how proud my father, your great-grandfather Abe who was a brilliant engineer, would be of you.  My mom’s father Julius, your great-great-grandfather who was born in Germany and imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp, would have been both amazed and proud at what’s happened to his family!

I am so glad that your father met Linh, whose family has a similar story but came from another place!