Stories
‘Border Kid’ Combines Cultures — and Creates Jobs — Through Cupcakes
When Karina Jiménez was laid off from an office job in 2011, she decided to jump into entrepreneurship with a niche dessert business called Viva Los Cupcakes. She had already been selling cupcakes as a side business at bars, parties, concerts, and art openings in Los Angeles, a 30-minute driver… Read More
California Student Uses DACA Status To Start a Business
As soon as Ovier Alvarez, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was granted the right to legally work in the United States, he started a photography business. Alvarez is a Dreamer, one of roughly 800,000 who has so far received protection under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a 2012 policy… Read More
DACA Recipient Dreams of Buying His Mother a House
Shortly after Jesus Perez began working as a social science research assistant at Johns Hopkins University, his 10-year-old brother asked for an ice-cream cone. Perez felt deep gratitude that he could say yes. As the undocumented son of Mexican immigrants, he didn’t have such luxuries when he was young. “Having… Read More
Ecuadoran Businessman Helps New Americans Prosper in Northern California
As executive director of Canal Alliance, a nonprofit in San Rafael, California, Omar Carrera leads work that helps some 5,000 new Americans a year successfully integrate into their new country. “We can save lives because we can break the cycle of poverty, one family at a time,” says Carrera. who… Read More
Economic Impact of Dreamers is Tremendous, Says South Carolina Lawyer
In 1980, when Marie-Louise Ramsdale was 10 years old, her father, a metallurgical engineer, got a job in America and relocated the family from Britain to South Carolina. Ramsdale suffered from culture shock — “I had no idea what pizza was,” she says — but settled in quickly, thriving at… Read More
Florida Dreamer: Americans Do Not Understand How Complicated Immigration Process Is
In 2000, Juan Escalante’s parents fled the violence of their native Venezuela. His mother and father, owners of a small print shop, were subject to targeted carjackings and death threats. Finally, enough was enough. They wanted safety for their three young children. So, in search of a better life, they… Read More
Dreamer Counsels Long Island Students to Dream — and Work Hard
In 2012, Carolina Perez was on the verge of getting a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology at Hunter College, in New York City, but she was depressed about her prospects. Born in Chile, Perez came to the United States with her family when she was 11 years old. Once… Read More
Venezuelan Fulbright Scholar Brings Soulful Food to Baltimore
In 2015, when Irena Stein opened Alma Cocina Latina in Baltimore’s Canton neighborhood, the food world took notice. “The best restaurant to open for years in the Southeast Baltimore neighborhood,” said The Baltimore Sun. The Washington Post told readers they should “prepare to be dazzled” by both the Venezuelan cuisine… Read More
DACA Entrepreneur Gives Back, Offers Free Web Training
Ramiro Rodriguez is an ivy league-educated entrepreneur whose startup, the live-streaming company Riivet, recently graduated from a tech accelerator program to a company with a dozen steady clients. He is also an undocumented immigrant who owes his success to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a 2012 policy that allows… Read More
Instructional Designer Knows the Value of a Diverse Workforce
In a global economy, businesses depend on international talent, says Fredeswinda Collazo, an instructional designer and former corporate learning officer. “The most successful companies are growing their talent from within and are inclusive of all cultures,” she says. Collazo, who was born in Puerto Rico, has always been a U.S. Read More
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