Celine talks to her mom about her experiences immigrating from Mexico as a young girl and what the American Dream means to her. Her parents worked in agriculture and first migrated to a different state in Mexico for better opportunities, before migrating to California.
“You can’t be a free woman in a society that doesn’t condemn that.”
Representative stock photo used to preserve anonymity.
A woman from Jordan shares how she migrated to attend college in the US, where she ended up staying long-term. She discusses the danger that women face in Jordan, and how living in the US helped her navigate her mixed Jordanian and Venezuelan identity.
A migrant from Romania shares her experience resettling in Michigan through the Lutheran Church. Her family first evacuated to Austria at the beginning of World War II before resettling in the US.
“My life depends on whether the people here think I deserve it.”
Representative stock photo used to preserve anonymity.
A young man shares the challenges he faced as an international student who came to the US from Venezuela for college, after seeing no future for himself in Venezuela. He shares his frustrations and fears concerning his future in the US.
“When your family is in danger, you don’t care, you just go.”
Snezana & family in Chicago. Photo courtesy of interviewee.
Snezana Hadzialijagic migrated to the US from Yugoslavia in 1993 during the Bosnian War with her husband and kids. They first resettled in Chicago through the Lutheran Church, then moved to Utah, where they found community with other families that came from Bosnia.
“We just want a life, a community, a place to feel safe.”
Representative stock photo used to preserve anonymity.
“Spicy” is a chef who moved to the US from Mexico when he was 21 years old. He shares how he has noticed sentiments towards immigrants change over the last 30 years he has lived in the US.
“This balance is so important to me. It makes our lives exciting…I feel just super happy.”
Hiroko & family in Bluff, Utah. Photo courtesy of interviewee.
Hiroko Yamamoto is an assistant professor in the architecture department at the University of Utah. Hiroko moved from Nagoya, Japan to Bluff, Utah when her friend (and later, husband) Atsushi told her about the DesignBuildUtah program, which constructs homes in Bluff in collaboration with the Navajo Nation. They now live there with their two kids.
“Once you start realizing the power that you have inside you, that’s when you say, ‘Oh, I can do this.'”
Stock photo used to represent interviewee.
Kotty was born in Peru and moved to the US at age 20 in pursuit of economic opportunities and self-growth. Though she initially struggled to adjust and considered the move temporary, she eventually adapted, grew, and decided to stay.
“I am here, I want to go forward. I don’t want to go backward.”
Representative stock photo used to preserve anonymity.
A refugee from Iraq shares her experiences resettling in Utah as she defied the expectations placed on her as a Muslim woman and overcame challenges like learning how to drive and getting her first job.
