Stories
WFTS Tampa Bay: Florida documentary series ‘Making it in America’ features Ybor City immigrants
A Florida documentary series titled ‘Making it in America’ highlights Ybor City and the success of immigrant entrepreneurs. The video by Explica Media was independently produced to show the wide-range of entrepreneurs that includes an immigrant from Panama. Roberto Torres, owner of the Blind Tiger Cafe, is highlighted in the video by showcasing… Read More
In America, Mississippi Lawyer Sees Strength in Diversity
In 2002, attorney decided to become a small business owner. He opened Schwindaman Law Firm, and — with the help of a full-time paralegal — now takes on about 70 cases a year. At least 80 percent are immigration cases, covering everything from citizenship and asylum issues to student and… Read More
UK Immigrant Brings Diverse Voices, and a New Aladdin, to Hollywood
When Walt Disney Pictures released the animated feature “Aladdin” in 1992, the movie was criticized for its stereotypical portrayal of Arab culture. Now, to ensure that its upcoming live-action version is authentic and nuanced, Disney has turned to an immigrant entrepreneur named Marya Bangee, the owner of SILA Consulting. The name of the company, which… Read More
Med School Student Fears DACA Uncertainty Will Hurt Her Residency Chances
Pakistani immigrant Aaima Sayed has always been fascinated by mental health. It is a passion that drove her to succeed in college and medical school even though her undocumented status disqualified her for state and federal financial aid, forcing her to take out private loans and depend on the sacrifices… Read More
Med School Promotes DACA to Help Cure Nation’s Doctor Shortage
A single email in 2011 set Mark Kuczewski, chair of medical education at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, on a journey to help undocumented immigrants become doctors. A colleague had written saying he had received an application from one of the most talented candidates he had ever… Read More
Chicago Alderman Works to Remove False Notions About Immigrants and Crime
Raymond Lopez had an unconventional path to becoming a politician. Although he had done get-out-the-vote work as a teenager, Lopez was more inspired by his long-time job working as a skycap for Southwest Airlines at Midway Airport. “I thought people deserved customer service in public service,” says Lopez, whose great-grandfather… Read More
Korean Immigrant Joins City Council to Fight for North-Atlanta Businesses
When John Park, a resident of Brookhaven, Georgia, saw that his neighbors’ interests were being overlooked by local officials, he decided to take action. “The city government was skewed too much toward business interests and not the people who live here,” says Park, who works full time as a disease surveillance specialist… Read More
DACA Allows Chicago Sociologist to Build a Stable Life and Career
When Erendira Rendon started college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2004, she was hesitant to tell her classmates that she was undocumented. She was among the first young people to take advantage of an Illinois law that allowed undocumented immigrants to pay in-state… Read More
DACA Uncertainty Could Crush Med Student’s Dream To Treat Underserved
As a child in southern Florida, Zarna Patel never got to see a doctor. Her parents, undocumented immigrants from India, had college degrees from their homeland, but in the United States had to work low-wage jobs without health insurance. Besides, doctor’s offices didn’t seem safe. “I was always scared that… Read More
With DACA, Wisconsin Students Have Access to Language Academic
Carlos Jara, a third-year doctoral candidate in Spanish and Portuguese studies and a university instructor in Wisconsin, wakes up every morning at dawn and doesn’t return home until around 7:00 p.m. In addition to his academic work, Jara co-chairs conferences for his department and works as an accounting manager at… Read More
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