I relate to your story and I'm glad your family has done well through hard work and many sacrifices. My parents were more the "I'm so disappointed in you" type so I'd feel overwhelmed by guilt if I didn't do well in school.

My dad always told us we HAD to get the best grades so there would be no excuses for why we didn't get the job. But the problem is we don't live in a meritocracy. It's not like straight As will convince a racist to hire us or promote us to better positions. They'll just say we're robots who can study but don't have people skills, leadership skills, etc. Anyhow, thanks for sharing your story.