Karen Weliky

After Many Moves, The Music Still Plays

Ainur Zabenova vividly remembers her first violin audition at 7 years old: “The window was open and it was a beautiful sunny day with a little breeze.  

Ricki Mudd

A Daughter of Two Countries

Ricki Mudd is a young girl sitting on the back of a bicycle–in front of her, an unidentified man pedals; above her, an umbrella shields them from the rain. The […]

Karen Weliky

Becoming and Never Looking Back

“I always knew I was a hands-on person. I liked taking things apart and putting them back together,” says Fiaindratovo Manavihare, explaining  

Bala

Composing a New Life

A few years into his engineering career at Intel, Balamurali Balu, who goes by Bala, wondered, “Is this really what I want to be doing for the next 30 years […]

Sankar Raman

He Came by Stork, I Came by Plane

The first time Liani Reeves realized that other people saw her as Asian was in the fifth grade.  “Everybody decided that Michael Lee and I should  

Karen Weliky

I Am My Mother’s Daughter

To this day, Bandana Shrestha feels a sense of gratitude for the example her mother, Indira, set for her as she grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Opening Minds With Education

After she earned her master’s degree, Rajika Bhandari was left with a grand, existential question. Where did she fit in, she wondered: Was it in the United States,

Sankar Raman

From the Old, Comes Something New

Some of Yumi Torimaru’s earliest memories are of flying through the streets of Nara, Japan, on her bicycle, focused more on how fast she could go than

Sankar Raman

Even the Angels Could Be Capricious

Shahryar Houranpay’s name translates to “the angels are with you.” “Shay,” the American moniker of this Iranian restaurateur, has needed all the angelic

Karen Weliky

Seffarine: Blending Cultures into Music

Lamiae Naki first remembers singing for someone when she was six years old. It was Friday, the holy day of Islam, with shops closed and families home together

Sankar Raman

Searching for Her Birth Family

A tiny slip of paper stating the place and date of her birth — Shaoyang, Feb. 24, 1995 — was the only thing identifying Olivia Wolf when she was found […]

Karen Weliky

Forging Resilience and Community

Rima Ghandour’s earliest memory is of being wrapped in her mother’s arms with her siblings around them, crying. The building shook as bombs exploded  

Nyibol Bior

Living the World in Color

In February, 2021, Nyibol Bior published a children’s book called “My Beautiful Colors.” She chose the title because, “Colors are metaphors  

Karen Weliky

Coming Full Circle At Last

“You are an Indonesian mama,” the local tour guide told Jane Mantiri as she wound up her recent visit to Indonesia. “At first I thought you were American, but now […]