Going Public with My Story
For many years, Xiomara Torres avoided telling people she had come into the US as an undocumented immigrant. “There’s so much shame with knowing you were
Blending Business and Culture
Discipline, fearlessness, and creativity are essential attributes of a successful business owner — and Anne Johnson has all three.
What Gives Us Power
“Sometimes it’s what we are most afraid of — or wish were different — in ourselves that gives us our power,” says young adult (YA) author Abdi Nazemian, describing the […]
From Bullets to Building
Marbles, three books of short Kurdish stories written in Arabic, and two AK-47 rounds. “With war always going on, those were my trophies (to take with me),”
Think About What You Want Most
“This country is still the ‘shining city on the hill’ but the path up is getting steeper,” says Ruth Lesser, reflecting on the difficult road she is still traveling to […]
The Journey of a Lifetime
When 25-year-old Nader Rezvani saw the Statue of Liberty from a tourist boat in 1963, he recalled the poem inscribed on the statue’s pedestal and thought,
Yilan to Portland, a Lucky Life
In 1960, Chang-Shee Chang’s pharmacology lab partner promised him a date with the runner-up of Miss Taiwan. He eagerly accepted. Alone in the theater
Taking the Opportunity to Shine
Jeanette Amisi Mmunga was born Tosha Kitungano, but has decided to answer to a new name — one she chose for herself. Mmunga was born Feb. 19, 2001,
Soñando más allá de las fronteras
“No tengo papeles.” Liliana Luna miró la oportunidad de ir a la universidad desvanecerse. El consejero de la preparatoria repentinamente abrió su cajón
Once Home, Now a Jungle
For the first 18 years of his life, Reza Uddin was a citizen of Burma, now officially known as Myanmar. And then, suddenly, he was not. That’s because Uddin is […]
“Home Is Where the Heart Is”
Alta never imagined he’d end up living in America — not while growing up behind the scenes of a satirical French marionette show, nor when he was an apprentice to […]
Dignity in Helping Others
One might not expect someone who has been bullied and shot at to pour all her energy into helping others. But Divine has been defying odds and expectations
Hope for a New Generation
Jenny Munezero was two months old the night the soldiers attacked, and the only one left alive in her family’s house. “To this day nobody knows why I wasn’t killed. […]
The Ingredients of Leadership
Although today she is recognized as one of Portland’s best-known chefs, Nong Poonsukwattana confesses that as a child, “I didn’t think (cooking) was
Creating New Narratives
When Naskah Zada immigrated from Iraq to the U.S. in the fall of 1997, she was expecting to eat pizza in front of a big-screen television in either a mansion […]