Juan Arias
In the late 1990s, at age 21, Juan Arias fled economic crisis in his native Ecuador. He landed in Richmond, Indiana, a small town with few Hispanic people. “When people saw me, they’d stare at me like...
View ArticleEugenie Kirenga
In 2005, Eugenie Kirenga traveled with her one-year-old son from Rwanda to the United States to visit her two sisters who were attending school in Pittsburgh, PA. But as her return date approached,...
View ArticleLaotian Refugee Gives Back to Lincoln Community
Soulinnee PhanCity of Lincoln City Clerk Soulinnee Phan’s parents came to Nebraska from Laos, fleeing the Communists. A few years prior, they’d swum for their lives across the Mekong River and met at...
View ArticleMexican Artist Finds Community in Lincoln
David ManzanaresMural and Sculpture Artist In 2017, David Manzanares moved to Lincoln with his Nebraskan-born wife and two sons, then ages 3 and 1. Manzanares is a mural and sculpture artist whose...
View ArticleIraqi Refugee Helps Other Newcomers Settle in Lincoln
Maysoon ShaheenDoctoral Student and Ambassador for Local Arabic Community Maysoon Shaheen fled Iraq in 1998 during Saddam Hussein’s regime, a move that likely saved her life. In order to receive her...
View ArticleJeannie Tim Wong
When Jeannie Tim Wong came to Miami from Hong Kong to attend Florida International University, she felt like a fish out of water. One day at the campus canteen, she watched a student selling cupcakes...
View ArticleLuisa Santos
In 1998, Luisa Santos’ family moved to Miami from Colombia to seek better opportunities. In America, Santos was awestruck by the fancy computers, book-filled libraries and even the air conditioning....
View ArticleGerard Philippeaux
Gerard Philippeaux grew up in Haiti, admiring the legacy of two fathers. His biological dad spoke three languages, had two advanced degrees and worked in political administration. After his father...
View ArticleMichael Burtov
In 1989, when Michael Burtov was nine, his family fled anti-Jewish persecution in the Soviet Union and resettled as refugees in Lynn, Massachusetts. “There was a lot of anti-Soviet, anti-Russian...
View ArticleSandra Campuzano
In August 2021, after more than two decades living in the United States as a Green Card holder and serving in the U.S. military, Sandra Campuzano will finally become an American citizen. “I’ve always...
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