Eaton's Story

I’m from Boston, Massachusetts...right now I’m 15 years old and I go to Boston arts academy. I’ve have been through many things in my life and it made made me into the young man I am not guess I could say,My mother left was I was young leaving me with my father, for the last 5 to 6 years since I was 11...me and my father have been homeless and place to lived in a family shelter, I was taken away from my father by child services and went to stay with my aunt And all these things I feel like happened for a reason, and with all the depression and pain I’ve been through as a kid... really helped my become more stronger and a better person and I want my story to be heard and I’m not scared to let be out their and at least...someone one will know my story...

Francisco's Story

I am a high school student that lives in Boston. I go to Boston Arts Academy for visual arts. But I can also play guitar and bass. This story is not fully about me but about what my family has gone through. My dad three years ago got deported to El Salvador. The police just came to our house, took him in and deported him on a random day. Me and my family didn’t know what to do. It was a hard mid because my dad was the pillar of our family. My mom had to work almost all day, so that meant that I had to take care of my sister all day. It was hard for me in school too. I didn’t want to do anything really. But he came back that’s the good thing. It was a hard time I went through with my family. It really impacted my life because I got to open my eyes and see that family is a big important factor in life that we all need to have so this experience made me think that we should all appreciate the family we have.

Jane's Story

First generation American. Mother migrated through the Mexican border and made her way to Boston, she came from Peru. Father also migrated through the Mexican border and made his way to Boston, he came from Colombia.

Zefan's Story

I’m from China and now having my masters in Boston, my boyfriend is from Boston, and his parents from the Dominican Republic. We are getting married next weekend and would be starting new stories here.

Abby's Story

My great grandparents on my dad’s side all came from Sicily to the United States to seek a better life in the early 1900s. My great grandpa was burned in a hot steam room in the candy factory he worked in as a cruel prank for not understanding English so after nine months in the burn unit he vowed to give his kids American names and not teach them Italian. My grandmother never knew she still had family back in Sicily but in 2008 when we traveled there we found her first cousin who is only one day older than her! One of my cousins from Sicily even came to Boston for a year to practice his English. We are so happy to be reunited.

Tiffany's Story

My mom immigrated to the US from southern China when she was a teen. Despite the hardships she went through, she became successful and continues to be my number one role model.

Peter's Story

My father’s family traveled from Ireland to Newfoundland to escape a famine. They left Newfoundland 40 years later when the codfish stock was depleted. They came to Boston, got “good Irish” jobs, and raised families.

Boss' Story

My mom immigrated to America on her own and started everything from the beginning. She built the family by herself and has been the woman that I most respect!

Victoria's Story

My mom came to the U.S. when she was 19, and changed her named from “Trang” to “Jennifer”. Coming from Vietnam, my mom endured beatings from her family members, poverty, crop failure, and just pure emotional hardship. Changing her name, enrolling in High School, and starting her own family and business here, she sought to shake away all the negativity from the past and start anew. When she tells me stories, I can see the dirt floor and the rats and the bomb shells as if they were from my own memories. When I see my mom’s face and her saddened eyes, they tell the story of a life that could break most people I know. But when I see her hands roughened by dishes or the demanding work of being a seamstress, they seem to say “it’s all for them, don’t give up”. My mom always says that my hands look like hers, that none of my siblings have our hands, and I’m glad.

Christina's Story

My father spent 15 days on a small boat with three dozen people with barely any resources to come to America during the Vietnam War. He came here with his mother and two siblings and had to drop out of high school to support the family. My mother came through marrying my father and they started a family of their own after. She had to give up her desires and dreams in order to stay alive. Their hard work inspires me to get the education they never got.

Jessica's Story

My mother escaped an abusive drunk father, to America, with the help of her mother. My father had no money but sold fruits to get enough cash to start his life in America. Both have taught me true values of life, and have given me experiences outside of America that I can never replace. I am a body of three cultures, and a heart of love. Through them, I am more.

Jackie's Story

My grandparents came from Ireland in the early 1900s and settled in Maryland

Alyah's Story

I am a first generation American. Both of my parents immigrated from Latin America for a better life and future for their family. My mom is from Brazil and came to America to to send money to her other sisters and her single mother. My father came from El Salvador to escape a bloody civil war that was starting to get worse in his village. They both settled in East Boston and met in an english learning class. They are my biggest inspirations and they experienced things that I am lucky enough not have to experience in my life but they’re stories will always be part of my life. I am proud to say that both of my parents are now naturalized U.S. citizens. Even though immigration was hard for them my parents always encouraged me to travel and learn other cultures. Because of them I was Inspired and able to travel to Japan with a scholarship and learn more about the other side of the world. I will continue to travel to other places and learn about other cultures and I will always remember where I come from.

Sarah's Story

My mother’s family emigrated from Guatemala through Miami, settling in NY in the early to mid 60’s. Partly because my grandfather was offered a job at a SUNY school, and partly because as a historian he was watching the patterns of revolution warp and weave around himself, his wife, and their four daughters. Family legend states that after a class he was teaching at a university in Guatemala, a group of students came up to him and told him that the place for people like him was against a wall.

My paternal grandfather as a child dealt with people in his town calling him a “filthy kraut” since his parents were German.

It goes both ways, in all sorts of patterns.

Richard's Story

My great great great great grand father moved from Jamaica to America in the 1600’s. Oh what a night.

Steven's Story

My parents came to the US in the 70’s from South Korea. My dad was the first Asian doctor in our town in MI. He was successful, but he had a hard time too. A lot of that stress he brought home. My dad was an idealist. He dreamed of playing baseball and going fishing with us. I didn’t particularly like that either. So. That was awkward.

Yu's Story

Moving from Jiangsu, China to Boston for my undergraduate education, I fell in love with neuroscience and decided in dedicating my career into solving problems related to mental health and pushing forward our understanding about the brains and cognition. Now I am a neuroscientist in training at Harvard University and hopefully to become a professor in this field.