By Mia Wright “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 […]
Spring 2025
A Journey to Security and Opportunity: Snezana’s Story
Meet Your Neighbor: Spicy the Chef
By Taylor Nielsen “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 […]
Migration, Integration, and Unification: Hiroko’s Story
By Josie Lott “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 […]
Roots and Wings: Kotty’s Immigration Story
By Eliza Stewart “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 […]
From Iraq to Utah: A Refugee Story
By Noah Coombs “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 […]