Finding Our Voices Today

Lisa Sandstrom
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  • SOCIAL SCIENCES

This podcast is committed to celebrating the immigrant's journey to the U.S.A. and the process of learning how to navigate a new culture, new language, and finding resources that lead to a happy and independent life. From newly arrived friends, or those who have been in the country for years, you will hear inspiring interviews with adults and their family members. Additionally, you will hear from non-profit leaders, educators, and volunteers who are deeply committed to making impact on these inspiring people. Moving to a new country is a unique and daunting experience that takes courage and trust, but our mission is to include ALL voices, and to provide equitable space and an opportunity for them to be heard and celebrated as well as to learn from professionals how we can effectively support them.

  1. Starting Over, Rising Higher: Dr. Lorraine Shikapwashya’s Journey from Zambia to Change Agent for Global Health

    19 HRS AGO

    Starting Over, Rising Higher: Dr. Lorraine Shikapwashya’s Journey from Zambia to Change Agent for Global Health

    Dr. Lorraine Shikapwashya’s journey is a powerful testament to resilience, courage, and unflappable purpose. In her early 20s, she made the bold decision to move from Zambia to the United States, leaving behind a professional role as a physician’s assistant to begin again in a new country. Like many who start over, she was met with unexpected challenges—her credentials and experience were not immediately recognized in the way she had hoped. While this was both surprising and disheartening, it never defined her path. As she began building her life in the U.S., she also began building something even more meaningful—a family, a community, and a deep sense of belonging. While navigating a new culture and environment, she cultivated strong friendships and a faith-centered support system that became her “chosen family.” Though she deeply missed her loved ones in Africa, she created a network rooted in understanding, encouragement, and love. Her time at home raising her children was filled with purpose and joy, yet she remained driven by a desire to grow, learn, and re-enter the professional world. With remarkable determination, she returned to college as an adult learner, earning her Bachelor’s degree from Mercy University and her Master’s in Global Health from Northwestern University. She earned her doctoral degree from the University of Bridgeport while balancing family life, community service, and working on impactful projects. She often reflects on waking at 3:00 a.m. each day to study—an experience she now holds with deep gratitude, as it shaped her strength, discipline, and vision. Today, as a faculty member in the School of Health and Natural Sciences at Mercy University, Dr. Shikapwashya brings her journey full circle. As a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), she is deeply committed to creating inclusive, engaging learning environments that reflect her global perspective and lived experiences. She is passionate about mentoring students, building meaningful community partnerships, and advancing global health initiatives across Cameroon, Zambia, and West Africa. Through her story, her work, and her unwavering dedication, Dr. Lorraine Shikapwashya continues to inspire and empower the next generation of global health leaders—reminding us all that with resilience, purpose, and heart, it is always possible to rise, rebuild, and thrive.

    50 min
  2. Guiding the Journey to Citizenship: Alice Warren’s Commitment to Immigrant Communities

    17 MAR

    Guiding the Journey to Citizenship: Alice Warren’s Commitment to Immigrant Communities

    This episode features Alice Warren who is a retired middle school social studies and history teacher. In her retirement she finds herself very busy with a variety of community projects but she is deeply committed to helping immigrants and refugees with the citizenship and naturalization process. It started in 1998 when she assisted a school custodian with his preparation for the civics test. He passed - and she was hooked - thus adapting her curriculum to include giving the citizenship test to all of her students. In her current role, she works to empower adult learners in weekly classes with information about U.S. history, critical thinking about the constitution and various areas of the test, as well as extensive preparation for the oral interview with USCIS. She has fostered community partnerships with agencies who provide legal services to eligible green card holders and personally assists students with the various application components. Throughout her citizenship course she reminds students of the comprehensive documents that are mandatory to certify their work and immigration status, including tax returns, pay stubs, and marriage certificates. She personally drives many students to legal appointments and always celebrates when someone achieves naturalization. She is a true mentor handling each case with deep care, immense support, and confidentiality. She shares recent changes in the naturalization process including a long list of countries where immigrants and refugees now face enormous obstacles and delays when applying for citizenship. Additionally, she shares the frustration over the prolonged wait times for appointments and the difficulty in gaining general information with the many changes in USCIS policies.

    47 min
  3. Julianne Furniss-Green, LCSW - Normalizing Grief: Finding Community in Loss

    10 MAR

    Julianne Furniss-Green, LCSW - Normalizing Grief: Finding Community in Loss

    Julianne Furniss-Green is a licensed clinical social worker focused on grief and loss. As a clinician in her private practice, JFG Therapy, she works closely with individuals of all ages and backgrounds as they navigate the challenging pathway of grief and loss. In our conversation, she shares that grief doesn’t have to be “gloom and doom” and often times someone isn’t feeling grief because of a death but from a life transition, chronic illness, estrangement and much more. She provides definitions of terms like “collective grief” and “compounded grief” that many listeners will undoubtedly relate to. She explains grief in a way that normalizes the experience, rather than the heavy stigma often attached to it. Julianne’s expertise, knowledge and research is impressive, but it’s her personal experience and commitment to deep connection with her clients that creates an atmosphere of empathy and healing. Her website reads, “Normalize Grief. Provide Support. Create Community.” As our podcast focuses on building community and supportive resources for immigrants—many of whom are grieving their country of origin and family left behind—her approach to healing was the perfect fit for us. She offers manageable ways to cope with the big feelings that grief can bring to the surface, presenting them in a way that feels attainable and empowering. jfgtherapy.com

    47 min
  4. Edith Targonski: A Community Champion focused on being Multi-Tasking, Multi-Lingual, Multi-Cultural, Multi-Faceted & Multi-Skilled

    24 FEB

    Edith Targonski: A Community Champion focused on being Multi-Tasking, Multi-Lingual, Multi-Cultural, Multi-Faceted & Multi-Skilled

    Edith Targonski arrived to the United States from Peru when she was 19 years old. Her sister had arrived a few years before and she was so happy about being reunited with her, but unhappy to speak English. She had visited the U.S. numerous times prior to her move but didn’t know much English and lacked confidence in her speaking skills. She soon met a fellow immigrant from Poland, who arrived at 17 years old with his parents. They fell in love and got married. Edith and her husband created a beautiful family blending and honoring their individual cultures from South America and Poland, while building their own family traditions. They learned English and raised their children in an English speaking household but also exposed their children to Spanish and Polish for them to have the opportunity to communicate with their grandparents and broaden their horizons. Since arriving twenty seven years ago, Edith has been very motivated to learn, grow her career and serve the community. She earned a special education degree from Sacred Heart Univ, and was an effective classroom teacher for many years. Currently, she serves as a passionate advocate for families who have children with special needs. She is a business development consultant. She has been a dedicated volunteer to many organizations, giving credit to her father for her need to give back and learning this from watching him. She has graduated about 9 senior citizens who have achieved citizenship under her tutelage at the Stamford Senior Center. She currently serves in the role of Editor-in-Chief of Latincolors magazine, which is a bilingual magazine that is widely circulated throughout Fairfield County, CT. and Westchester County, NY. The mission of Latincolors is to bridge both geographical and cultural communities and celebrate the accomplishments and endeavors of the people, agencies, groups and organizations making a positive impact in the community. It is available in both English and Spanish and is a free publication and available online. Like many other guests on the podcast, she was enrolled in the PLTI (Parent Leadership Training Institute). She has been a facilitator for People Empowering People-PEP and currently serves on the Design Team. In addition, she serves on numerous other boards in the community, all of them serving the immigrant and Latin communities in different ways, while raising her 3 children to be passionate, giving and kind people.

    50 min

  5. 09/12/2025

    Kelly Garcia - Starting Again- The Journey for an Immigrant to Earn Medical Credentials in the U.S.

    Kelly Garcia arrived in the U.S. from Colombia during the Christmas season in 2023 after finishing medical school. With a devastating event that put her family in danger, she knew she had to change her path to keep herself safe. Consulting with her academic advisors, she made the difficult decision to step away from her dream of being a psychiatrist in her country as she had planned. Although she knew she’d have to validate her credentials in the U.S. with this transition, it was best to join her family and evaluate her options. Arriving in the United States she worked to improve her English skills and immediately began studying and preparing for the board exam to transfer/validate her medical degree from Colombia. Working creative side jobs to pay her bills, she studied every minute she had available to enhance her vocabulary skills related to the exams and to improve her quality of life. With English as the critical component to pass the two challenging exams, she persevered and moved ahead. Kelly speaks in detail about the many challenges it takes for immigrants to earn their necessary credentials in the U.S. to continue the work they felt called to do. The spectrum includes developing necessary literacy and language skills, meeting expensive financial demands for multiple exam fees, to creating and fostering a professional community from its basic foundation. For most, this is impossible to pursue. For many immigrants they land in positions for which they are overqualified and their previous career or education becomes a sad and distant memory. The future Dr. Kelly Garcia now awaits a match for her residency which will begin next summer. In the meantime, she continues her preparation and study while working as a researcher and bilingual practitioner in a local mental health clinic.

    36 min

  6. 02/12/2025

    Dr. Millie Hepburn - Preparing the Next Generation of Culturally Competent Nurses

    Dr. Millie Hepburn is an Associate Professor in the Davis & Henley College of Nursing at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. Upon meeting Millie, you quickly feel her energy and enthusiasm for her work in the healthcare field. With her many publications, grants, service work and projects in motion, it is her passion and leadership for cultivating understanding and curiosity for the next generation of nurses that is most impressive and prevalent. Her statement, “Diversity in nursing makes patient care safer” is the seed she plants with students each day, impacting nursing students to understand that who they will take care of may be a person from a culture with a native language, skin tone, and heritage much different than their own. Her office is filled with signs to build self efficacy with students, but also to build community among them. Dr. Hepburn’s advanced degrees and vast experience speak for themselves, but it is her personal commitment to caring for others that is at her core. The youngest of 6 children, as a child she hoped to be a veterinarian, but scholarships weren’t enough to fund becoming a vet. However, nursing school felt like the perfect fit for her and she never looked back. Working in various hospitals in both urban and rural environments, she continued to flourish in professional and academic arenas. Her curiosity and research extended beyond the walls of the traditional classroom and clinical settings to working with Native Americans and learning about their healing practices. In her interview she speaks candidly about her experience as a nurse and supervisor, but her real passion came when she began to impact students preparing for their professional practice. Her deep understanding of first-generation college students and the many challenges they juggle makes her the perfect candidate to work as the Associate Director with the accelerated students who are on the fast track to complete their nursing degree. Her firm but empathetic approach to their preparation is magical as she builds a community of inquisitive learners and focused practitioners. With a recent grant to purchase a virtual reality training system, she creates opportunities for students to immerse in diverse settings broadening their experience and preparation for their future in healthcare. She routinely seeks grants to support her students through their educational pursuits, as she knows first hand about the financial burdens of getting a college degree. In addition to her work preparing the next generation of nurses, she engages in research and serves on a variety of boards. Her focus is on stroke patients and promoting neurological care, but she is also deeply involved in supporting addiction programs and advocating for domestic violence victims.

    50 min

  7. 25/11/2025

    Sylvia Barchue - A Healthcare Leader with Vision, Focus & Compassion to Build Teams that Care and Patients that Thrive

    When sitting with Sylvia Barchue, you instantly realize you are in the presence of a confident woman, a real go-getter. As a young girl, she knew she wanted to be a nurse. With her caring nature and career goals in mind, Sylvia was just 19 years old when she left her native country, the beautiful island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to attend nursing school in the UK. She lived with her aunt prior to attending nursing school. Sylvia successfully trained in a rigorous 3-year program. On completion she decided she wanted to specialize in critical care and completed a yearlong postgraduate training leading to critical care certification. It was a natural fit for Sylvia. On completing her nursing program and critical care certification, she was offered a position in America. In the early 1980’s at the young age of 31, she moved to Arkansas to help in the completion of a new hospital where she designed the intensive care unit, commencing a new chapter of her career. In retrospect she credits her arrival in Arkansas as being the best place of entry for a nurse in the USA as it being the place with the best patient advocacy at the time, she was motivated to get started in a career here, but on the birth of her son she realized that raising her son as a black man in the South could bring more challenges so she moved east to be closer to family whose support would be pivotal to her success. She shares the various obstacles she managed as a newly arrived immigrant having worked professionally outside of the U.S. while navigating a new culture as a black woman. It was this move that would launch her career with the VA- Veterans Administration. Working in the Bronx, NY, she began to build collaborative relationships with her colleagues and held her staff accountable to professional standards. She earned respect and moved up the ranks quickly establishing a stellar reputation. Sylvia had a vision, and her creative leadership brought new programs to the VA and ultimately, to benefit their patients. Her impact was uncontainable as she expanded her career into research, working on numerous publications with doctors and nurses who revered her opinions regarding patient care. She retired after 38 years at the VA in the Bronx but not without making last impact and imprinting her love and compassion to not only the patients, families, but to the 450 staff persons she supervised daily and at times the over 2000 when she was the sole executive on station. She expresses deep gratitude for her professional training, but attributes her successful career to the professional relationships she cultivated on her journey as a nurse, nurse supervisor, administrator, and hospital executive as well as the love and support her family gave her along the way.

    43 min

  8. 18/11/2025

    Fernando G. : Coming to America -The Journey of a Lifetime

    Fernando Garcia left Honduras on foot at just 11 years old with his older cousin. Now, 13 years later he’s opening up about his journey and how it changed the trajectory of his life. He arrived to the border of the U.S. escorted by “coyote people” that his mother paid for so he could join her. She had left her beloved country, Honduras, when he was five years old so she could provide for him from afar seeing no other opportunities for growth in her homeland. Unfortunately, she has never been able to return to her country. But, she knew bringing her young brilliant son to America would be life changing for him. Fernando was a bright young student and his teachers saw potential in his schoolwork, natural curiosity, and persistence to learn. He speaks openly about arriving and entering school not knowing English and not having access to ESL in his school. Like many students, he quietly observed his classmates and students learning about language and culture from their every move. He later taught himself English because once entering middle school he felt the teachers were going too slow for his learning pace. He found his natural athletic ability in soccer would open doors socially with his peers as well as position him to be recognized by high school coaches. Fernando shares how a guidance counselor experience was pivotal to his academic journey and helped to foster a pathway for his success. Now, years later, he’s a proud graduate of a prestigious university where he also played club soccer for their D1 team. Looking forward, he has completed the LSAT’s, the challenging entrance exam to law school, where he intends to become an immigration attorney to help a population he can authentically relate to. His quiet demeanor portrays a compassionate heart rich with love and faith, while at the core his inner strength and resilience are reminders of his life-changing journey to a new land to join his beloved mother.

    51 min
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About

This podcast is committed to celebrating the immigrant's journey to the U.S.A. and the process of learning how to navigate a new culture, new language, and finding resources that lead to a happy and independent life. From newly arrived friends, or those who have been in the country for years, you will hear inspiring interviews with adults and their family members. Additionally, you will hear from non-profit leaders, educators, and volunteers who are deeply committed to making impact on these inspiring people. Moving to a new country is a unique and daunting experience that takes courage and trust, but our mission is to include ALL voices, and to provide equitable space and an opportunity for them to be heard and celebrated as well as to learn from professionals how we can effectively support them.

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