Composing a New Life
A few years into his engineering career at Intel, Balamurali Balu, who goes by Bala, wondered, “Is this really what I want to be doing for the next 30 years […]
Tag: immigrant
He Came by Stork, I Came by Plane
The first time Liani Reeves realized that other people saw her as Asian was in the fifth grade. “Everybody decided that Michael Lee and I should
I Am My Mother’s Daughter
To this day, Bandana Shrestha feels a sense of gratitude for the example her mother, Indira, set for her as she grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal.
A Daughter of Two Countries
Ricki was born in 1993 in Quzhou, China, but was adopted when she was four years old by a White American family living in Seatac, Washington.
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
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
Coming Full Circle At Last
“You are an Indonesian mama,” the local tour guide told Jane Mantiri as she wound up her recent visit to Indonesia. “At first I thought you were American, but now […]
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