Painting A Better Future
A rosary and his mom’s blessing are all Roberto Oran took when he left his small village in Mexico. His faith kept him going, but his belief in higher education […]
Category: Immigrant
Escaping the Taliban Through Art
When Ghu Ali Danish Kamal and his family arrived in Portland from Afghanistan, they were provided with $722 in cash. He headed straight to the art store
Life is a Work in Progress
What does a mental health journey look like? How can art, music, and therapy bring us to better self understanding and self love? In this episode, Portland Community
A Ticket To Opportunity
Alicia Alvarez-Mon found the sense of freedom she was looking for as she gazed over the roofs of Paris from her small attic room. She had just started her first […]
Shall We Dance Bollywood?
As a student in India, Prashant worked hard and finally achieved the American dream of a well-paying job in engineering and a career that made his parents proud.
One Voice Brings a Big Change
Meghna Damani grew up in the thriving city of Mumbai, India and established herself in a flourishing career in marketing. But when she married her long-time boyfriend
Caught Between War and Paperwork
Newly married, Ghassan Bin Hammam came to get a graduate degree in the US, planning to return to Yemen to teach. But, on a quick trip back
Sankar Raman
Sankar was born in India and immigrated to the U.S. to attend graduate school, earning a Masters in Physics, and a PhD in Engineering from Purdue University.
A Return to Her Roots
For as long as she could remember, Shirley Yee was enchanted with Cantonese opera. The emotion of its music, the grace of its performers, and the complexity of their
Prayer Book, Rachu, Tibet
Tsering Dolma: This prayer book was one of my father’s oldest daily prayer book that I received from my late eldest brother. I brought it from Nepal when I went
A Different Kind of Inner Calling
Balamurali Balu, who goes by Bala, immigrated to the United States from Southern India. He completed his PhD at Georgia Tech.
History Keeps People Thinking
Jack Boas counts his career as historian as beginning at conception. “Or maybe even before,” he suggests. “I could not avoid it, as a child of
A Rebellion Against Silence
Sindy Avila-Gutierrez looks back undaunted on her life as an undocumented immigrant. “I’ve always been a rebel in that way,” she says. “You tell me
Hit the Strings – Live on Stage
Hit the Strings is based on a Middle Eastern musical scale and features the Japanese koto played by Masumi Timson. Many cultural influences flow between
Harmony of Rhythms – Live
Harmony of Rhythms features young musicians from Portland Kalai Kuzhu playing parai drums, one of the oldest instruments in India but one that,