Can any Russians answer some questions for school? (San Diego)

Hi!

I am doing a research paper in my school counseling program on Russian students at the middle school I work at. I have to discuss being culturally aware of a certain ethnic group that is different from me, and this is who I chose to focus on as there is a uniquely large population of Russian American students here.

Would anyone be able to explain, in your experience, the following:

Why did you (or your family) move to San Diego?

What kinds of cultural barriers have you experienced?

How is education different in American than Russia?

What do you expect of your children, or what did your parents expect of you, in regards to education and career? Is it "typical" for parents to push you to achieve or is there an issue with language/culture that made school/career difficult?

Any other insightful information would be very appreciated! I am going to put together a paper that can hopefully lay out some advice for counselors working with this particular population of students.

Thanks so much!
Jessica