Stories
‘We’re Working, Staying out of Trouble,’ Says DACA Recipient
When Radi finished high school, she longed to go to college. But as an undocumented immigrant, she didn’t have the same opportunities as her friends, and for years she waited tables at a local restaurant. Things finally changed with the implementation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a 2012… Read More
An Indian in Kansas Brings Hundreds of Jobs and Free Healthcare
Abdul Arif grew up in a middle-class family in Hyderabad, India, and came to Wichita, Kansas, at 17 to join his brother, who was a naturalized citizen. He’d hoped to get an education in America, but things didn’t go as planned: Arif dropped out of high school, got married, and… Read More
Politicians, Not People, Divide Us, Says Lebanese-American Dentist
When Omar Mahmassani arrived in the United States from Lebanon to begin studying dentistry at Georgetown University, he felt positively awed. “I felt so lucky,” he says of that day in 1984. “A degree from the United States is the gold standard. People look up to the United States as… Read More
A St. Patrick’s Day Toast to Influential Irish-Americans
St. Patrick’s Day began as a religious feast for the patron saint of Ireland and has since grown into a global celebration of the vibrant country and its people. In the 2010 U.S. Census, 34.7 million residents of the United States claimed Irish ancestry, which is seven times Ireland’s current population. Read More
Louisiana Lawyer: For Sake of Economy, ‘Make Immigration Viable Again’
When Baton Rouge was devastated by flooding in 2016, it was immigrants who came to the rescue. “There was no way that Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas could rebuild without immigrant labor, whether documented or undocumented,” says Paul “Woody” Scott, a Honduran-American immigration lawyer who has worked in the… Read More
Syrian-Born Doctor a Lifeline in Rural Kentucky
When Dr. Firas Koura, a Syrian immigrant and president of the Kentucky Lung Clinic, looks at his fellow colleagues, one thought occurs: “Most of the patients depend on foreigners for specialized treatments, and many for primary care. Without immigrants, there would be no pulmonologist, no cardiologist, and no nephrologist in… Read More
Louisianan Says it’s the Strangers Who Make His Town Home
Chris Wade cares about the people of Monroe, Louisiana. He was born there, raised there, and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology there, from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He’s also spent a significant portion of his adult life volunteering in and around the city: driving a truck for… Read More
When Americans Don’t Apply, Resort Needs Foreign Labor To Open
Looking ahead to the 2017 summer tourist season, hotelier Ashish Tari sees a serious labor shortage. Tari, who came to the United States from India in 2007, is the general manager of the Georgian Lakeside Resort, in Lake George, New York. During the busy summer months, he says, international students… Read More
‘Look Beyond the Surface,’ Says Columbian-American Surgeon
When the patients of Colombian native Dr. Julio Clavijo-Alvarez have a question about their treatment, they don’t have to worry about getting past a wall of staffers. They have his personal cell phone number, so they can just call or text. As his overwhelmingly positive online reviews… Read More
Ancient Indian Tradition Sparks 21st Century Business
When Sudha Krishnasamy was growing up in India, family meals were served on dried leaves. They were inexpensive, disposable, and completely biodegradable. After arriving in the United States, Krishnasamy was bothered by the frequent use of paper and Styrofoam plates; it felt wasteful to use something once, toss it in… Read More
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