Starting Anew, Shaping a Future
Born in Vietnam during the fall of Saigon in 1975, two-year-old Vu Nguyen experienced what seemed to him at the time “the end of the world.” He, his five months […]
In the Land of the Free
Mariamou thought she was leaving behind hatred, violence, and fear when she arrived in America. But now in Portland, Oregon, she once again fears for her life.
A Cardiac Scientist with Heart
In a country that has historically celebrated its scientific community, a scientist with an uncertain future is not that common. But Dr. Yuriana Aguilar is an undocumented
Coursing the Meandering Paths
By the time Abdikarim settled in Kakuma Refugee Camp at age 11, he had already lived in three countries. He was born in 1990 in Somalia, when it was on the […]
To See the World Outside
As a young child, Naw Bi could see the mountains from afar. She often dreamed of escaping the refugee camp where she lived and climbing them up,
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child
Jean Paul was three years old when his family decided to flee their fertile home land in North Kivu in Congo. The next seventeen years they
A Reunion in a New Land
Holding dreams and taking the steps to realize them has been a theme in Kemle’s family. For many years, her father dreamed of making a life in America. When the […]
A Future That is Yet to Come
Baghdad, during the ‘Iraqi Insurgency,’ was not a place to have a happy childhood. In 2007, at the height of its sectarian violence, it seemed as if everyone was fighting […]
Overcoming Fear and Opening Doors
The oldest child of Somali parents, Fowzia was born in Kenya and spent her early years there in east Africa. At the age of three, her family left the poverty […]
The American Dream Is Never Easy
Sumitra was born in a Bhutanese refugee camp in Nepal “without a country and without an identity.” Beldangi I, where she was born and grew up, was one of seven […]
Going Up North to Pastures New
Growing up on his great grandfather’s ranch in a small rural farming town outside of Morelia in Michoacán, Mexico, was a typical rustic childhood for the
On Becoming a Cardiologist
In 1983, Mehran Arabpour was a 17-year-old high school graduate with exceptional grades unwilling to settle in his native Iran. Having lost both his grandparent
The Most Common Hate Speech
Stowe Community Church, Stowe, VT. Our first day of travel in the New England area was going according to our plans. It was a beautiful summer day and our road […]