Stories
Communications of the ACM Opinion: Immigrants Help Solve the Looming STEM Worker Shortage
As an engineering hardware manager working in the rapidly growing automotive electronics industry, I’ve been baffled by politicians who champion anti-immigration policies. If we want our economy to prosper, we should eagerly welcome the world-class talent that’s knocking at our door. I should know. I’ve witnessed firsthand the excellence newcomers… Read More
Houston Chronicle Opinion: Smart, educated and skilled — but stuck at home
Recently, my 4-year-old daughter asked me, “Why are you always home? Why does only Daddy go to the office?” Her question broke my heart. When I was growing up in India, I watched my mother go to her banking job each day. This gave me confidence that I could one… Read More
Communications of the ACM Opinion: Want Kids to Love Math and Science? Don’t Use Those Words
When I tell kids about Mindbender Academy, the weeklong summer camp where they build robots, make movies and design apps, I never talk about the science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) skills they’ll be developing. At Mindbenders, we want kids… Read More
Austin American Statesman Commentary: Repeal would hurt all Texans, not just undocumented like me
As a student teacher at several Austin middle schools, I like seeing how excited my Hispanic students are to have a teacher who looks like them. I want my presence in the classroom to inspire young people from all backgrounds – including undocumented immigrants like me – and demonstrate that… Read More
Xconomy Opinion: America Should Welcome Immigrant Entrepreneurs
When I came to America in 1987, as a wide-eyed University of Texas grad student, I arrived with just a suitcase and a few hundred dollars — money that my mother, back in India, had scraped together by selling her beloved jewelry collection. Three decades later, I’m a successful biomedical… Read More
Argentinian Immigrant Credits Boston with Enabling Business Success
Jonathan Thon, an Argentine native, first came to the Boston area in 2008 to complete a Harvard Medical School postdoc, and stayed on to become an Assistant Professor there. He knew that platelets, the cells that promote clotting, had enormous commercial and medical potential, and so in 2014, Thon… Read More
Pakistani Engineer Manages 700-Employee Facility, Oversees Life-Saving Drug Production
Usman Chaudhri dreamed of becoming an engineer, and by 23, he had more than achieved his goal. He had received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Pakistan’s National University of Sciences and Technology and had his research on synthetic engine fuel published in journals around the world. Riding… Read More
U.S. Could Deport the STEM Grads it Desperately Needs
American companies need young people like Cesar Guzman, a mechanical engineering student at the University of Texas at El Paso. U.S. employers are already struggling to find qualified workers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields; in 2016, there were more than 12 STEM jobs posted… Read More
Dreamer Forced to Shelve Plan to Use IT Skills to ‘Protect Our Troops’
Axel did not know he was an undocumented immigrant until he started high school. His parents had brought him and his brother to the United States from Guatemala when he was 6 years old, and, as he got older, the Sioux Falls resident assumed he had the same rights as… Read More
DACA Engineer and Homeowner Seeks Protection for His Family
Cesar Rodriguez is an accomplished 24-year-old. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, works full time as a design engineer, owns two homes, in Nashville, Tennessee, and does volunteer work with young people. But next year, unless Congress takes action, Rodriguez could be forced to leave his job, his… Read More
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