Stories
Mexican Immigrant Builds Automotive Business from the Group Up
Joaquin Cordero met his wife while working in Cancun, and moved with her in 1998 to Boise, her hometown. He had earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in Mexico, but did not have U.S. licensure and spoke only Spanish. So he went to work as an auto technician. “When… Read More
Laotian Refugee, Entrepreneur, and PhD Candidate Calls Boise Home
When Palina Louangketh was three years old, her mother walked her and her brother into a field after a family dinner and kept going. They were escaping Laos, and would walk for two and a half weeks, always at night to evade communist patrols. During the day they hid or… Read More
Immigrant from Somalia Starts His Own Business While Working Shifts at Tyson
Mohamed Warsame began at Tyson’s Dakota City plant as a meat cutter, but, lacking knife skills, was soon assigned to pack and lift boxes. “They say, ‘We will know if you are really hardworking guy,’” he says, laughing. Now, seven years later, Warsame has cross-trained at every job on the… Read More
Immigrant and Community Leader from Mexico Gives Back to the Community that Raised Her
Balbina Valadez has been working with nonprofits since she graduated from high school, providing information on healthcare services, interpreting for immigrants, and conducting research on a range of issues. “I’m one of those people that likes to learn a lot of things,” she says. “And I like to help… Read More
Vietnamese Immigrant Wants to Help Her Community for Future Generations
Like so many Vietnamese people, Joanne Nguyen has lived a life shaped by American foreign policy. When she was born, in 1966, U.S. troops were already engaged in the ground war and her father, an English professor in Saigon, had been drafted into the South Vietnamese Army to assist U.S. Read More
First-Generation Mexican-American Serves His Community Through His Business
At age 10, Victor Puga left his native Mexico for Kentucky. Since his father had been naturalized through the Reagan Amnesty of 1986, Puga arrived as a U.S. citizen. Still, his path wasn’t easy. He became a father at a young age and dropped out of school to work for… Read More
Bosnian Refugee Helps Start National Trucking Company from Scratch
Amira Zukic came to America with close to nothing, but after learning English and working hard, she and her husband now run one of Kentucky’s largest trucking companies, with $17 million in annual revenues. The secret to their success? “A lot of work, a lot of work, a lot… Read More
Dallas News: Trump backlash? Dallas, Houston and others put out the welcome mat for immigrants
As in America, there are two kinds of Texas. One pushes a bathroom bill that targets transgender students and dismisses the hit on Texas’ business-friendly image, and the other rises up in opposition and holds off the measure. One passes a “show me your papers” law that bans sanctuary cities, and… Read More
DRC Immigrant Finds His Faith and a Path to Helping Other Immigrants
César M’nyampara was a mining-industry lawyer in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but when his father, a political activist, was murdered in 2003, he decided to find a safer place for his family. In 2011, M’nyampara, his pregnant wife, and their four children came to Illinois on diversity visas. There,… Read More
Without DACA, U.S. Risks Losing Country’s Educated Talent
When Ben A. was a high-school senior in north Texas, he was class valedictorian, president of the school’s National Honor Society chapter, and had a full scholarship to Harvard University. But his girlfriend’s father still disapproved of their relationship because he was an undocumented immigrant. “It’s one of the most… Read More
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