Surviving A Minefield Of Terrors
Too often the stories of refugees from ravaged lands force us to confront unimaginable suffering, terror, and trauma. Binh (Ben) Thach harbored such a tale in
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,
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
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
Building a Future With Forgiveness
When Romy Ahounou was just a little boy in the Republic of the Congo, war broke out. “My parents put me and my brother in a suitcase and put us […]
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
Nothing Prepares a Child Like Stories
“What I really want to do is make people feel good about themselves, and help them change their perspective.” explains Baba Wague Diakite,
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 […]
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
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
The Entrepreneurial Spirit Is Baked-In
Imene Barkat remembers her first event at Portland Night Market as a resounding success. “I sold out everything within the first few hours,” Barkat said of her first foray
More Than One Way to Fly
When her calligraphy teacher, Sekko Daigo, gave Rie O’Doherty the artistic name Sora, meaning universe or sky, it reminded her of her childhood
Creating a Road Map to Success
Arthi Vasudevan makes a road map for where she wants to go in life, deciding on her goal and timeline and then thinking out the steps she will follow to […]
Finding the Roots of Home
Until she met her mentor, one of the best-known art dealers in Bangalore, India, Mrunalini Giri did not think of herself as an artist. “I was just somebody who painted
Nurture Community Wherever You Are
When Wilber Ramirez-Rodriguez found he couldn’t continue his work as a dentist in the United States, he started his own mobile dental hygiene clinic to educate