A Rabbi After All: Fulfilling a Calling
By the time he was seven, Eliezer Schwartz had already learned that if he ran fast enough and threw a lot of stones, he could protect himself from the schoolyard […]
Tag: Story
Keep Knocking on Doors
Even while battling kidney disease and working at McDonalds to pay her way through college, Marissa de los Angeles Roxinny Salgado Garcia
Turning Pain Into Ambition
Lisa Amani is a driven 18-year-old. This fall, she will start her first year at University of Oregon, with $130,000 worth of scholarships.
Tending a Garden and Her Dreams
Salsabel Al Masri’s garden was the center of her world. She and her five brothers spent every day after school chasing each other among the olive, orange, apple,
Finding Courage in the Unfamiliar
When Japhety Ngabireyimana landed in the United States at age nine, he thought he was seeing ghosts. “I was surrounded by a bunch of white people at the airport,”
Giving Back to Move Forward
Ferrer has always had a driven mentality that leads him to make the best out of each situation that comes his way. “I can always learn
A Triumph of Human Resilience
In an isolation cell at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), 27-year-old Gayathri Ramprasad wondered, “Am I crazy or is the world crazy?”
The Strength of Community
Ruth Zúñiga has a clear philosophy about the importance of being resilient and open to opportunities. ‘Life is like a ride in a bus,” she muses. “You can have a […]
Saying “Yes” to Both Career and Family
Three times, Lilia Boteva-Ayzoukian has received a violin. Each time the gift has been a link between, the two most important things in her life:
Finding Peace Within Identity
Until 2018, female drivers were banned in Saudi Arabia. “I had never been in the front seat of a car,” says Shereen Khoja. But when she went home in January […]
A Journey Protected by a Force of Light
In many of Soulayvanh Beisel’s earliest memories, everybody is traveling by boat. She remembers how monsoons would wash through her hometown of Tha Ngon,
Assimilation and Nostalgia
When Deepak Kaul immigrated from his native Kashmir — territory disputed by India and Pakistan — to New Jersey at age 10, his family lived across the street from Annin […]
Giving Artists Space to Thrive
The air raid signals blared as six-year-old Chris Ayzoukian rushed to hide in the bathroom alongside his parents and older sisters. Their flat was dark, so the five of
Expert in Languages at an Early Age
“Being American means hard work and being involved in your community,” says Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) student Marcela Morales.
Seeking out the “How”
“Being settled is such a privilege. But when you’re new (somewhere), every second is a thinking second,” says Mekdes Hilete, describing the feeling of becoming a