From the Silk Road to Couture Designs
From early childhood, says Oxana Ake, “I wanted to create things.” Her father, an engineer, taught her how to make boats from wooden sticks, twigs and boards,
Tag: portland
A Uniquely Global Citizen
To call Sinait Sarfino a “global citizen” would be an understatement. She speaks English, Korean, and she is now learning Chinese.
An Artist with Many Voices
For Dao Nguyen Strom, identity is no simple concept. Raised in the California countryside, Strom was originally born in Vietnam—a country she escaped as a baby
Beyond the Familiar Summit
Although Ang Pemba Sherpa was born in 1982 in Namche Bazar, Nepal, a small village nestled at 3,500 meters in the highest peaks of the world
Creating Joy For Others
When Shi Choong, now a wedding planner helping other Portlanders celebrate their love, thinks about her childhood, she recalls the bright colors
Value of Human Belonging
Before she was even born, Toc Soneoulay-Gillespie began her journey far away from her roots in her Lao village. Her mother, Phouvong Sonelouay,
Preserving a Family Legacy
When you walk into the Jeffrey Allen Gallery in downtown Tigard you are greeted by an abundance of greenery and history; tumbling orchids and fruit trees,
My Heart Has Two Countries
Kseniia Hnatovska never kept up with the news. Instead, she was a planner. She loved scheduling vacations and weekend activities,
Getting Down to Business
For Abiba Magba Magba, running a business was a means of survival. Her mother taught her this while Magba was growing up in Bangui,
Flavors From Home In A Suitcase
Ask almost any refugee from war-torn countries how they arrived on these shores, and at this specific place, and you will inevitably hear of radical choices
Leaving a War Behind
Chau Leatherman credits her migration story to three lucky breaks. The first was the journey south to Saigon just after the Communists took over the North.
A Passion for Culture and Language
In the outskirts of Cluj-Napoca, Romania’s second most populous city nestled in the heart of Transylvania, there stands an unfinished house.
Striking Universal Chords
Jan Porvas was only seven years old when he picked up the drum that would change his life. Surrounded by his friends and family at home, he was captivated by
Keeping Our People Alive
As a child, Mohsin Jamal was terrified every time the sun set in his neighborhood in western Kabul. The Taliban would roam the streets at night, abducting young boys
Longing To Return Home
“My family and I thought this would be over soon,” Volodymyr Shyshkin says. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Shyshkin thought that the war would end