A Trilogy of Success

Kwasi Enin, a student in his last year at a New York public high school, has just caused some commotion in the media. His parents emigrated from Ghana in the 1980s, and last year, he sent applications to eight of the most prestigious universities in the United States, including Princeton, Harvard and Yale. To his amazement, they all accepted him.

A combination of factors worked in his favor: His score of 2250 on the SAT is impressively high, as is his having taken various advanced, university-level courses during his final years of secondary school. He was also a leader in various extracurricular activities, among other things.

The fact merely reflects some significant changes that are taking place in societies like the United States, which are distinctly multi-ethnic and multicultural because of the influxes of immigrants. In recent years, there has been obvious economic and upward social mobility in the new minority groups, including those coming from West African countries, such as Nigeria and Ghana. U.S. residents and citizens born in India, China, Vietnam and Korea are gaining ground, as are minorities of Iranian and Lebanese descent.

The nearly epic involvement of Jewish immigrants — who today have an outstanding presence in politics, culture and science, despite making up barely 2 percent of the population — or of immigrants from Cuba are no longer the only examples. Other minority groups are also clearing the way.

But this is not a linear phenomenon. There are groups who rise among the minorities, but then fall with time. For example, young third-generation Asian-Americans no longer surpass whites in school as their ancestors did, or as the children of Asians who have recently arrived do. This could imply that there are real cultural factors at play.

Yale University professors Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld attempted to explore this phenomenon in a recent study. They believe that they have found three common variables in these minority groups that could explain their success. First, they observed in these groups an attitude of superiority over others. Second, they found a notable level of uncertainty and even fear, though this does seem to contradict the former. Many come to escape persecution and war, and they fear not being able to assimilate and succeed in an environment as competitive as the United States.

And third, these groups have made a remarkable amount of sacrifice, as well as a substantial investment in education. This leads them to postpone harvesting the fruits of their labor today for later in life. Chua affirms that there is no biological determinism or anything of the sort in the secrets behind the success of these minority groups. Their being observable in certain groups does not imply that they cannot be acquired through education and upbringing at home.

The study has caused controversy, criticism and praise. But while the debate continues, young Enin has until May to assess which of the universities that accepted him will offer him the best financial plan.