MOLLOY UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR HOLDS A BOOK SIGNING

Growing Up in an Immigrant Household and Community: Essays by Descendants of Immigrants

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, May 3, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Molloy University Professor in the School of Education and Human Services, Dr. Vicky Giouroukakis, will sign copies of her latest book, “Growing Up in an Immigrant Household and Community: Essays by Descendants of Immigrants,” about what it was like to grow up in an immigrant household and community, on Wednesday, May 3, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church, located at 100 Fairway Dr. Port Washington, NY 11050.

Dr. Giouroukakis captures the actual life experiences of those growing up in an immigrant household and community in the United States by the very individuals who, in many instances, straddled two worlds in finding their identity in America. Thirty first-person essays were solicited by editor-author Giouroukakis through social media and other personal networking, with an overwhelmingly positive response.

A first-generation American of Greek immigrant parents, Dr. Giouroukakis shares how she experienced her first incident of “otherness” in kindergarten when her teacher struggled to pronounce her name, Vasiliki, suggesting they change it for convenience. Through her early school years, Dr. Giouroukakis served as a translator for her mother, who did not know English. When she was sixteen, she enrolled her mother in ESL classes in Astoria to help her learn English. However, right before the courses began, her mother decided she no longer wanted to participate because she was too embarrassed and nervous to return to school.

These stories have always resonated with Dr. Giouroukakis throughout her life and helped serve as inspiration when writing her book. Divided into five sections—Challenges and Hardships, Fond Childhood Memories of the Immigrant Community, The Immigrant Household and Food, Life Lessons Learned from Immigrant Parents, and Life Lessons Learned from Immigrant Grandparents—the essays aim to give a voice to descendants of immigrants. The fellow authors with backgrounds from countries all around the world are sharing their personal stories about being raised by immigrant parents or grandparents.

“This book is a celebration of diversity and multiculturalism, of family, of good times and challenging experiences, said Dr. Giouroukakis. Growing up, I struggled to balance my Greek and American cultures. However, my parents were grateful for the opportunities they could have when they came to America. They taught me how to work hard and persevere to succeed in life. Through this book, I want to honor my parents and all immigrant parents as well as their children, the hardships they endured, and the joys they experienced in their household and community as they sought to define their cultural identity.”

The book signing will benefit The Archangel Michael Ladies Philoptochos as they provide the opportunity for women committed to actively assisting those less fortunate and making a difference. Tickets are available for $35 per person, including hearty hors d’ouvres, wine tasting, and an autographed signed book. Please RSVP to Chris at (516) 375-3940 or email at [email protected].

Media coverage is invited, and a photo op is available. Follow Molloy University on Facebook @MolloyUniversity and Instagram @Molloy_u.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 3 @ 6:30 PM

WHERE: Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church
100 Fairway Dr. Port Washington, NY 11050

ABOUT DR. VICKY GIOUROUKAKIS
Award-winning Educator/Author Vicky Giouroukakis, Ph.D. (née Vasiliki Menexas), is a Professor in the School of Education and Human Services at Molloy University, Rockville Centre, New York. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in adolescent literacy, English Education, instructional strategies, and TESOL. Before her tenure at Molloy, Vicky taught English at a public high school in Queens, NY, and ESL to adolescents and adults. She is the co-author of several books: the Kendall Hunt textbook, Back to the Basics of Teaching: Best Practices for Diverse Learners (2020); the ASCD book, Achieving Next Generation Literacy: Using the Tests (You Think) You Hate to Teach the Students You Love (2016); the Corwin best-seller, Getting to the Core of English Language Arts, Grades 6–12: How to Meet the Common Core State Standards with Lessons from the Classroom (2012), and Getting to the Core of Literacy for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, Grades 6-12 (2013). Dr. Giouroukakis is known for teaching and writing with a commitment to and passion for diversity, cultural inclusion, and excellence in education.
Website: www.vickygio.com

Growing Up in an Immigrant Household and Community: Essays by Descendants of Immigrants is published by Kendall Hunt Publishing Company and is available for purchase through Barnes & Noble, Target, and Amazon.

###

Grayce McCormick
Lightfinder PR
[email protected]
Visit us on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Instagram