Nermin | Bosnia | 2001
I arrived as a refugee in June 2001. Wars in the Balkans didn't leave much hope for families. My parents decided it was best to move. My uncle arrived in St. Louis around 1995 directly from a concentration camp. He was able to sponsor us. I had a summer to learn some English. My dad worked labor jobs. We eventually were able to purchase our first house where I finished school and started college. First two years I was at Meramec for my Associates Degree. I transferred to UMSL for my Bachelors. I'm really proud. During my senior year, my thesis was designed around my story of genocide. This thesis won "Judges Choice" and landed my first internship. The internship became a full-time job. My career is a dream come true. I started a smaller design agency locally. I married my high school sweetheart in 2016. In 2022, we welcomed our baby Nadia.
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Barham | Syria | 2024
I am in Damascus, Syria nowadays, but in May, I will be in the US.
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Jahangiri | Iran | 2001
For political reasons I came to US. First to Vienna, then the US. I received citizenship in 2022.
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Bisa | Bosnia | 1998
After years of civil war in the country that I was born in, Bosnia and Herzegovina, my family and I immigrated to the United States in 1998. Years later, I became a US citizen. Lack of the English language did not allow me to continue my career that I went to school for. In time, I learned the language and started working with people that needed help and care. I continue to be a professional caregiver.
My children have their own families, and I enjoy watching my four grandchildren grow and become their own people. Back to THREADS
Alexei | Yugoslavia | 1964
After dancing two seasons with the Sarajevo Opera Ballet, he was recruited and asked to join The Pennsylvania Ballet in Philadelphia, PA. He left Sarajevo in November 1964, at the age of 21, to join the Pennsylvania Ballet as a Principal Dancer. He came with nothing but his Bible and a Serbian/Croatian to English dictionary.
He went on to have a very successful career as an American Ballet dancer. He danced all over the world. He was the first dancer to win the Silver Medal in the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, representing the USA. Richard Nixon, the POTUS at the time of his win, sent a letter congratulating him on his achievements in the arts and representing the United States of America. Back to THREADS
Bob | India | 1964
I was born in Calcutta, raised in Darjeeling and Katmandu. I attended English-speaking parochial schools. When I was ten, we departed for America. A week went by in a blur of cancellations and confirmations for tickets by air or by sea to America. We boarded the SS President Wilson, bound for San Francisco, a huge ship with so many places to get lost in adventures! I came over in the summer of 1964, stepping on US soil for the first time in Honolulu. We passed under the Golden Gate, seemingly, oh so close to crashing off the chimneys of the ship! There, I stepped onto the mainland. I got my citizenship papers later that same year: 1964.
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Shubha | India | 1974
I came to the USA in 1974 in Philadelphia. I came to this country as a newly married teenager with no concept of American life. It was quite challenging as my doctor-husband used to be “on call” every other night in the hospital. I had to learn the way of life by trial and error to pursue my art. When I look back, I just feel blessed. Thank you, my extended family and friends. Thank you, America.
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JJ | Philippines | 2006
I am an artist. I am native from the Philippines. I arrived in USA in 2006. I am divorced. I met my ex-husband 2003 and got married 2006. I live in South Carolina.
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Emil | Bulgaria
Emil was born and raised in Bulgaria. He came to the United States to study music under the tutelage of a Bulgarian violinist at the age of eighteen. He settled in Southeast Louisiana. He received his higher education in Baton Rouge and Rice University in Houston. He is a master violinist and plays in the Baton Rouge Symphony and for many engagements. He has founded his own music studio and company, Arco Music.
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Piling | Taiwan | 1991
My husband and I came from Taiwan to the US in 1991 for graduate school. Looking back at the journey we’ve gone through, I can’t be more grateful to America for supporting and nurturing our family along the way.
In the early days, our resources were very limited but reaching the milestones (graduation, childbearing, job searching, home buying, Green Card, Citizenship…) continued to fuel our determination to secure our footing in this new country.
With my husband’s RA stipends from the U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, we managed to not just finish our degrees but also grow our family. My three children were born and raised with the help from the social welfare system, Public Aid and WIC.
Like many immigrants, we have experienced hardships and challenges. In the end, we were able to turn them into either life lessons or growth opportunities. Back to THREADS
Claudia Brazil | 1985
I am twice an immigrant.
I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I immigrated to Israel with my mother at the age of 11. After 17 years in Israel — that included serving in the army and attending Tel Aviv University – I decided to try a new continent and arrived in Los Angles in 1985 with two suitcases. I was lucky to have family and a place to stay.
I came with a tourist visa and when the visa expired, I just stayed and hoped I would be able to get a green card somehow. (I met and married an American and that solved it.)
Almost 40 years later I am still here, still married to the same guy, and after running my own design business for 30 plus years I am now ready to embark on a full time career as an artist. Back to THREADS