ism! where immigrant stories matter Sarah deSouza
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- Society & Culture
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ism the podcast is here to amplify immigrant voices and tell the stories that deserve to be heard but have been overlooked; because just like the title states... immigrant stories matter! Host Sarah deSouza, a first generation Brazilian-American, sits down with immigrants from all over the world to discuss their triumphs, hardships, and everything in-between that came with moving to a foreign country. You'll laugh, you'll cry, but most importantly you'll LEARN. Our goal is to end the negative stigmas around immigrants and ignite real change, one story at a time.
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the story of the realtor
Vasil Nikolla moved to the United States from Albania at just 12 years old with his family. Knowing only a couple words of English, Vasil started school and quickly had to adapt to his new environment. Vasil's story shows the importance of having a good support system and being in a school that supports immigrants and ESL (English as a Second Language) kids. Thanks to the help of his teachers, great friends, his family, and the will to dream big and work hard, Vasil is now chasing his dreams ...
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the story of the makeup guru
Xhenisa Gjonaj migrated to the United States over 22 years ago with her mother and sister from Germany. Her mother and father moved to Greece from Albania with Xhenisa when she was young and then lived in Germany for a couple years where her sister was born. Xhenisa grew up with a single mother who worked extremely hard to give her and her sister the best life she possibly could. Xhenisa, as the older sibling, learned a lot from her mother and started to work very young while going to school ...
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the story of the fashion designer
Carolina Espaillat is making her name known as a fashion designer in Boston and beyond. But her love for fashion didn't start in the states, it started back home, in Santiago, Dominican Republic. From a young age Carolina remembers taking leftover fabric from her grandmother and using it to make little garments for her Barbie dolls. At 19 years old, her family decided to give her and her siblings more opportunity and a brighter future, which is how she ended up in Massachusetts. She worked ha...
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the story of the boss stager
Larissa Santana thought she was only coming to the US for a vacation, but when she landed in Boston, she realized this is where she belonged. It was hard leaving her family in Brazil behind along with everything she knew and loved, but she saw an opportunity to make her life better as well as her families so she went for it. At first she struggled, working two jobs and sometimes working 12 hour days. Not to mention she didn't know a word of English when she got here. But she didn't give up, a...
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the story of the queen of new york
When Andreia Gibau first landed at Boston Logan Airport at just seven years old, she came across a pamphlet with a picture on the cover of a city with tall buildings and bright lights. It was so different than anything she had ever seen on her tiny home island in Cape Verde; it was New York City. And little did she know, that city was going to change her life. Andreia is now a speaker, philanthropist, and the reigning Miss New York USA. She is an inspiration to all immigrants, showing that an...
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the story of the italian mom
Michelle Borriello grew up spoiled by the picture perfect coast line and warm sunshine of Naples, Italy. But at just eleven years old, she had to say good bye to the city and people she loved and say hello to Boston, Massachusetts; and unfortunately, it was not a warm welcome. She came to realize that the land of opportunity would not provide the American Dream without hard work and perseverance. But throughout all of her hardships, Michelle was able to create a life with children that she lo...
Customer Reviews
Inspirational
It is Fascinating to hear these success stories. We are surrounded by hard working, dream builders, goal focused, family oriented, full hearted individuals. ISM! episodes expose the tenacity of the people who either find or build opportunities in the US. I love that this country is called United States “US” of America because this is about all of “us”. Thank you brilliant Sarah for this podcast.
It’s the TRUTH
I know them both!! It made me cry because I know how hard Manu works and everything she said is true!!