Immigration Law

IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: MASIELA LUSHA - ACTRESS

By Greg Siskind

Okay, I have to admit that I've lately starting watching the George Lopez Show on Nick at Night. It was just an accident at first and I had never seen the show on its first go around on ABC. But its pretty funny and its one of the few shows about a Hispanic family ever on a major network. Its now on my DVR subscription list.

I was surprised that all but one of the regular actors on the show was born outside the US. It's Masiela Lusha who played Carmen Lopez, the teenage daughter. But what was even more surprising to me is that Masiela is actually Albanian. She also lived in Hungary and Austria in her early youth before her family moved to Michigan. English is her fourth language.

Masiela recognizes the importance of her immigrant background. She once told a reporter:

Many countries had a hand in raising me. I am the product of many contradicting philosophies and cultures. My entire universe is comprised of these foreign traditions. If any one of these experiences are to be ignored, I wouldn't be the same.

Masiela has now acted in several films and is the author of several books of poetry.

Full post as published by Greg Siskind's Blog on September 06, 2008 (boomark / email).