@cowtownbrown, I had actually wondered if your background was Russian 
I have a good number of Russian friends, and have often bumped into the differences.
I was also a low income immigrant, but that was almost 60 years ago, and my family was not from Russia. Things have gotten better, a lot better, but some reactions to non-English speaking people are still incredibly ignorant.
I’m glad that your parents liked Yale and I wish you luck with your application.