Immigrant Stories | The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants

Welcome to episode 129 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Mohamed Mo Rachadi shares his journey from French Morocco to the United States, arriving in 1970 on a soccer scholarship with limited English and big dreams. Today, Mohammed is a retired academi...

Welcome to episode 128 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Claudia Garcia, a first-generation immigrant and online business coach, shares her journey growing up in Los Banos, California, navigating responsibility at a young age, and ultimately building...

Welcome to episode 127 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Lesley and Stacy, sisters and first-generation Americans, share their experiences growing up in an immigrant household shaped by their Azorean heritage. From navigating bicultural identities to...

Welcome to episode 126 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Valentina Rivera shares her journey as a Colombian immigrant who moved to the United States at just 12 years old, navigating cultural shock, identity shifts, and the emotional complexities of gr...

Welcome to episode 125 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! George Torres, also known as Urban Jibaro, shares his journey as a digital pioneer in the Latino community, from launching Sofrito for Your Soul in 1997 to creating Siembra Connect, a platform d...

Welcome to episode 124 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Fernanda Soriano shares her journey from Puebla, Mexico, to the United States—opening up about her childhood experiences, her pursuit of independence, and the twists and turns that shaped her pa...

Welcome to episode 123 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Wendy Amara shares her family’s story of immigration from Guatemala, her upbringing in the San Fernando Valley of California, and how her lived experiences shaped her journey into becoming a str...

Welcome to episode 122 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Doug Hewitt shares his journey from Tennessee to California, his transformative years in China, and how those experiences ultimately inspired him to co-found 1951 Coffee Company, a nonprofit soc...

Welcome to episode 121 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Nadine Huggins shares her journey from Trinidad and Tobago to the United States, reflecting on her bicultural upbringing, her family’s move back to the U.S., and the path that led her to her wor...

Welcome to episode 120 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Lonnie Mitchell shares her journey from Ireland to the United States, where her family moved in search of better economic opportunities after winning the green card lottery. Today, Lonnie is a l...

Welcome to episode 119 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Noor shares her journey from Yemen to the United States, after living in Saudi Arabia and Norway. She opens up about the cultural and social challenges she faced—from navigating restrictive envi...

Welcome to episode 118 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Jennifer Quezada shares her inspiring journey from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to becoming a U.S. attorney dedicated to serving the immigrant community. In this episode, Jennifer reflects...

Welcome to episode 117 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Yazmin Garcia shares her inspiring journey from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, to building a creative life and business in the United States. Yazmin moved to the U.S. at just two years old and gr...

Welcome to episode 116 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Griselda Abousleman shares her inspiring journey from growing up in Brownsville, Texas, as the daughter of immigrant parents, to becoming a business advisor, career coach, and author. In this ep...

Welcome to episode 115 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Jenny Chau shares her journey from Taiwan to Brooklyn, where she navigated cultural transition, religious conversion, and a calling to serve others. In this episode, Jenny reflects on her family...

Welcome to episode 114 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Flavia shares her journey as a first-generation Peruvian American, raised in New Jersey, who has built a life abroad while empowering other Latinas to travel. In this episode, Flavia reflects on...

Welcome to episode 113 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Paulette Erato, host of the La Vida Mas Chevere podcast and founder of Latinas in Podcasting, shares her unique perspective as the daughter of a Mexican mother and Puerto Rican father. Growing u...

Welcome to episode 112 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Milena Portillo shares her journey from Colombia to the United States, where she has built a career as an immigration attorney dedicated to helping others navigate the system she once had to ada...

Welcome to episode 111 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Dorina Gilmore-Young shares her story of growing up in a multicultural family in Chicago and how her background continues to shape her work today as a writer, speaker, podcaster, and Bible study...

Welcome to episode 110 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Latasha Ferguson shares her story as an Orlando native, mother of four, educator, and entrepreneur who grew up in a culturally diverse military family with a Korean mother and a Black father. He...

Welcome to episode 109 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Janete Teixeira-Parente shares her inspiring journey from a small town in South Brazil to building a new life in the United States. Janete reflects on her childhood in Brazil, where she faced ch...

Welcome to episode 108 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Attorney Saman Movassaghi Gonzalez shares her journey as the daughter of Iranian immigrants who grew up in Texas and went on to become an immigration attorney. Saman reflects on her upbringing i...

Welcome to episode 107 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Doreen Cumberford shares her incredible journey of someone who has lived in eight countries—including Scotland, the United States, Japan, and Saudi Arabia—and is now enjoying life in San Miguel...

Welcome to episode 106 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Gicela Holguin Tangarife shares her moving story of growing up in Colombia, moving to the United States, later immigrating to Canada, and navigating the emotional and legal complexities of her f...

Welcome to episode 105 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time! Heather Reese shares her inspiring story of being adopted from Peru into a Jewish family in the United States and how her identity, upbringing, and determination led her to become a personal inj...