Stories
Argentinian Exchange Student Turned Communications Entrepreneur in Columbus
Natasha PongonisFounder, Nativa Natasha Pongonis came to the U.S. as an exchange student attending the Ohio State University. A native Argentinian, she envisioned a brief stay in Ohio and then a post-college life pursuing an architecture career in Europe. But fate had other plans. At OSU she fell in… Read More
Nigerian Reporter Starts Publication to Highlight Immigrant Community in Columbus
Deba UwadiaeEditor-in-Chief, New Americans Magazine In 2010, Deba Uwadiae, his wife and three children were selected to receive visas through the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery, allowing them to move from their native Nigeria to Columbus, Ohio. Their transition wasn’t easy. In Nigeria, Deba had risen from political reporter to… Read More
First-Generation American Champions Opportunities in Columbus
Antoinette WilsonCEO, Triumph Communications As a first-generation American growing up in Toledo, Ohio, Antoinette Wilson watched her parents make a tangible difference in their community. Her father was a pediatric physician from the Philippines. Her mother was a pediatric nurse from Panama. Over three decades, the family helped over 30,000 patients at their practice. “Every time we… Read More
Costa Rican Immigrant Community Organizer Supports Vulnerable Communities in Mercer County
Laura MoraCommunity Organizer, Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund Laura Mora grew up in a poor Costa Rican farming community, where her father worked in the tobacco fields to support his 10 children. Today, she is a Community Organizer and Client Advocate who supports the vulnerable population and… Read More
Taiwanese Immigrant Engineer Turned Mayor in West Windsor
Shing-Fu HsuehFormer Mayor of West Windsor Shing-Fu Hsueh (pronounced “Shay”) came to New Jersey from Taiwan in 1969 with $300 in his pocket and a heavy accent that required help from a speech therapist. Despite these challenges, he went on to become a successful environmental engineer, professor, and a… Read More
Iranian Student Turned Healthcare CEO Helps Hundreds Fight COVID-19 in Mercer County
Al MaghazehePresident & CEO, Capital Health Al Maghazehe came to the United States as an international student in 1977, but when the Iranian Revolution broke out a year later, he realized he couldn’t safely return home. Raised in a tight-knit family, Maghazehe struggled with loneliness at first, but finished… Read More
Summary of Proposed Changes to Student and Exchange Visitor Admissions Process by DHS
This document provides a summary of the Department of Homeland Security’s September 25, 2020, Proposed Rule, “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media.” The summary explains the changes DHS is proposing… Read More
Regulatory Comment on Establishing a System for Secretarial Review Over Cases Before the Department of Labor Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals
These comments were submitted on the regulatory changes in the Department of Labor’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Direct Final Rule, published in the Federal Register on March 6, 2020 by the American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Read More
Comment in Response to the Proposed Revisions to USCIS Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion
The American Immigration Council calls on USCIS to withdraw the Notice immediately as it contains significant changes that contravene long-established policy, harms an applicant’s access to administrative review, and was not issued under the proper legal framework under the Administrative Procedure Act. Read More
From coding to coaching — an immigrant entrepreneur makes it his mission to help the next generation succeed
Rashaad Bajwa arrived in the United States when he was 3 years old. Learning English was easy, given his age. And his parents, educated in British schools in Pakistan, spoke English at home. But he still lived the immigrant experience. “I still am,” he says. “Even though I grew up… Read More
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