St. John's Socialite: DNY Ellis Island Trip

One of my recent Discover New York (DNY) class adventures was a trip to Ellis Island on Saturday, October 15. It was an unparalleled experience to stand in the rooms which over 12 million immigrants passed through on their journey to a new life and world, including my great grandfather, who immigrated to the United States from Hungary.

I found it fascinating to enter the museum part of the building, where I learned more about these people through the items they brought with them and the stories that were intertwined. Among the items that caught my interest was an oud instrument from Armenia, because of my Armenian heritage. I was also intrigued by clothing items made by a family from Lebanon, as that is where my dad was from. I also thought it neat to see the amount of religious books that were brought to the United States by people from different countries; I identified with this, because if I were ever to leave my home for a new land, I wouldn't want to be without my Bible.

Other interesting things I saw that day were family portraits, many historic passports (in different languages), ship manifests, and also different images of persecution that helped me understand people's desperation to come to America. Since I had only heard stories of such things and had never actually been to Ellis Island, I am glad this class gave me the opportunity to go.