Love at First Sight—with Medicine
Growing up in Kyiv, Ukraine with a mathematician father and physicist mother, Tetyana Odarich was expected to follow in her dad’s footsteps.
Category: Story
Headphones In, Hate Speech Out
Farhia’s path to her new home in Portland called for courage and resourcefulness. She has faced repeated harassment about her skin color and her hijab
A Candle in the Darkness
Dr. Baher Butti’s earliest memory dates from 1963, when he was just two years old. His uncle took him to visit his father in prison, where he was serving time
Sketching a Life in Secret
Nothing about the financial world interested Sarah Rikaz. The only tie she could find between her passion and the career her parents wanted for her was
For the Love of Mozart
It’s the late 1980s in Taipei, Taiwan. Every week, four-year-old Ruby Chen ventures with her mother from their storefront apartment to the local Yamaha Piano store
Why Her Accent Became a Mask
When Onyeka Azike journeyed from Nigeria to America to attend Portland’s Reed College, she believed she would fulfill a childhood dream.
Be Whoever You Want to Be
Like her journey as a refugee, becoming who she is today has not been easy for Irakoze Diane. That is why “Irakoze” is not just a name — it is a […]
Upsetting the Status Quo
Contrary to the unobtrusive lifestyles of most immigrants, blending in has never been a priority for Victor Maldonado. Behind his signature blue mask,
Live, Love, and Juggle
Every summer morning as a child, Ramazan Yiğit — Rama — would rise before the sun in order to shepherd his family’s livestock until sundown
Let Nothing Hold You Back
Beneath the star-studded sky of Makamba, Burundi, 6-month-old Olive Bukuru clung to her father’s hip as they fled on foot for roughly 100 miles to Tanzania.
The Gift of New Opportunities
Growing up, Zsusana Vamos always loved stories of Marie Curie, so when she got her first job doing cancer research in Budapest, she was excited
Something To Be Proud Of
Felix Songolo does not remember much of what he left behind in Africa. His family left the Democratic Republic of Congo before he was born
The Strength within Yourself
Instead of a novel, Brianda Alcazar would sneak her geometry book into her room at night and wait till her parents were in bed so she could turn on the […]
A Lifetime Across Canvases
Even in primary school, Farooq Hassan remembers, “I would copy pictures of cartoons or pictures of kings and presidents of that time.”
Laughing through the Years
Janet Liu is no stranger to a life shaped by history. Or rather, a history shaped by her life. But her rolling laughter and raw honesty reveal that she remains […]