Elayna Yussen

Speaking Out: From Poetry to Politics

Don’t let 17-year-old Belise Nishimwe’s petite stature fool you. Measuring in at just 4 feet 9.5 inches tall, she is bursting with confidence, charisma and big ideas

Sankar Raman

Finding His Footing on the Pitch

Wilondja Mashimango spent his childhood on the soccer field. One day on the pitch, he heard someone greet him and turned around to reply. However, what he

Sankar Raman

Education Triumphs Over Nationalism

On his first day of Second Grade in 1992, Flamur Vehapi arrived at his school to see soldiers barricading the entrance, declaring, “No more school for you.”

Sankar Raman

There Is More Than One Way

“I’ve never been a person who had a plan about what they’d be doing in 10 years,” says Susheela Jayapal, Multnomah County’s District 2 Commissioner. “I just do

Kim Oanh Nguyen

Performing with a Purpose

Within a matter of months, Joe Kye had gone from teaching English in a high school classroom to playing his music at open mics in local dive bars.

Sankar Raman

Blind Faith in a Better Life

“Blue eyes, mustache, tall! I loved him,” says Anna Giurgiev. “And I still do.” She smiles, describing how she met her husband, Sava, when he waited on her

Sankar Raman

Listen When the Heart Sings

Not many men would invite their ex-fiancée to their wedding, but Vikram Srinivasan invited his. After all, she was his best friend in high school and stood by him

Sankar Raman

The Architect of Her Own Future

It was her birthday, an especially happy one because she got to see her mom. Johana Amani and her sister rarely saw their mother because

Elayna Yussen

Celebrating Identity Through Music

In the late 90’s, while employed at Powell’s Books and engaged in the workers’ effort to unionize, Gitanjali Hursh – known to friends and family as Anju

Sankar Raman

Learning How to Change the World

At four years old, already aiming  to “fix things,” Milen Gebreamlak decided she would become president of Eritrea to make things better.

Sankar Raman

Doing Everything With Her Own Hands

Ayan Salat can teach you all about scorpions. She can make fluffy injera bread and cook meals for an entire household. Ayan could ghost-write your next

Sankar Raman

From Fist Fighting to Mediating

Bernal Cruz had just been suspended from high school for taking part in a fist fight when one of the school counselors stopped him and said, “I think you would

Sankar Raman

The Hard Way Can Be What Saves You

Yamini Rajan was 12 the first time she heard her father cry. With tears rolling down his cheeks, he saw the scars covering Yamini’s thighs and arms.

Sankar Raman

Embrace All Your Cultures

It was her teachers, violinist Inés Voglar says, who gave her the courage to do what she loved the most and to trust that success would follow.

Kim Oanh Nguyen

Designing a Better Future

“After the travel ban and after Trump, I had the hard feeling — I felt ignored and voiceless,” says Shiva Farrohki.  “I was thinking, how can we change