Duc Nguyen Abrahamson: Doing Business with Asia-Pacific

When Duc Nguyen was an infant in 1975 Saigon, her father came home and told his wife, "Pack up the kids. We're going!" In the frantic hours that followed, Duc's mother was trampled in the rush to a waiting escape vessel, nearly drowning her baby daughter in the process. The family eventually resettled in East Michigan and began the all-too-familiar challenges of refugees: adapting to language, work, and culture of a strange new homeland. Join us for the inspiring tale of struggle and success of one young Vietnamese-American professional.

Sughnen Yongo: Africans, African Americans, and the Culture of Hair

From Central Nigeria to the American Midwest: Self-described nonconformist, Sughnen Yongo gets her parents to allow her to move to the U.S. to study and find her American Dream. An aspiring writer, she shares her personal journey with us, along with observations on race, culture, and hair!

Luzia Leme Tartari: Finding Home

Luzia Tartari shares how a year's international student exchange can change the trajectory of one's life. From southern Brazil to western Michigan: join us for one woman's intercontinental, life-altering journey.

Ney-T: Healing Through Music

Ney-T is a singer-songwriter from the West African nation of Senegal. He shares with us his passion for music and an original song in his native Wolof. Come for the conversation, stay for the music.

Vincent Mcintosh – Irie Man Cooks Up Caribbean

Growing up as a child of immigrants is not easy. Growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Vince Mcintosh learned to navigate between his Jamaican parents' expectations and the African American kids at his school, eventually finding his way as a young businessman. He joins us in studio to talk about a passion for food, his Jamaican roots, and creating community.

Aladeen Alashmli – Fleeing Civil War

A young accountant flees civil war in his native Yemen, is granted asylum, and moves to Detroit, Michigan to begin his life again. Aladeen Al-Ashmli joins us to share his story.

Tausi Zaina: Teacher with a Beautiful Voice

If teaching is in your blood, you often know it as a young child. Tausi Zaina did – and now does, thousands of miles from her native Kenya. Also second nature to this dynamic immigrant is making music, either chorally (as she does in metro Grand Rapids, Michigan) or solo (as she does in our studio). Come meet Tausi Zaina, the teacher with the beautiful voice!

Juanita Bocanegra: From Migrant Worker to District Judge

Growing up the only child of migrant working parents, Juanita Bocanegra never dreamed of the opportunities that she could have in the USA. Graduating from law school, she worked her way up in the prosecutor’s office, and is now running for 58th District Judge in West Michigan. Juanita joins us to share her incredible story. [November update: Juanita won her election and will be seated Jan. 1, 2021 as Ottawa County's first Hispanic judge.]

David Astudillo: Representing Latin America in Film

Growing up in Venezuela, David Astudillo loved stories told through film. When the opportunity arose, he ventured to Grand Valley State University to follow his passion of filmmaking. With us, he discusses bringing Latin American voice to the world of film.

Raheef Alturkmani: Husband, Father, Educator, Advocate

Raheef Alturkmani grew up in Syria before coming to the U.S. in 2011 to pursue his education. He currently works in human resources at the Dow Chemical Company in Midland, MI, and teaches part time at Northwood University there. He joins us to discuss his personal story and his advocacy with Dow's Middle East/North Africa Employee Resource Group (MENA-ERG).

RC Caylan: Designing West Michigan

RC Caylan is the creative director of RC Caylan Atelier in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He joins us to discuss growing up gay in the Philippines, his work in the fashion world, and the early inspirations that got him there.

David Pilgrim: Jim Crow, Racist Memorabilia, and Social Justice Education

Harlem-born David Pilgrim grew up in the American Deep South, where his education and life experiences teach him lifelong lessons about race, racism, and race relations in the United States. This Founder and Curator of the Jim Crow Museum shares how everyday artifacts can educate us about our troubled national history in order to understand the meaning of true racial equity.

Javier Cervantes: Community Advocate

Javier Cervantes is a young professional making a difference in his native Grand Rapids. The son of Mexican immigrants, this community advocate is working to promote the neighborhoods and schools around him. His leadership has been recognized by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and he joins us to tell his story.

Edafe Okporo: Building Bridges from Persecution

West Africa is not a safe place to live for lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals. Nigerian-born Edafe Okporo talks about the legalized oppression of LGBTQ citizens in his homeland and why he sought asylum in the United States.

Rosine Hounakey: Surviving Human Trafficking

At age 13, Rosine Hounakey was trafficked to work in hair-braiding salons in the United States. Listen to one plucky young woman's story about a sad reality in too many American cities and the courage to rise above such abuse.

Sergio Cira Reyes: Movimiento Cosecha

An estimated 11 million residents of the United States do not have formal authorization to live there. Some overstayed visas. Others crossed the border illegally in search of work, safety, or family members. Over the years, they have become contributing members of their respective communities: from Savannah to Spokane, from Albany to Albuquerque. They clean our hotel rooms, pick our produce, construct buildings, and even start businesses in their adopted cities. Born of the farmworker movement, Cosecha (Spanish for "harvest") is advocating for life with dignity for all immigrants. Sergio Cira Reyes explains how.

Cindy Wilson: Too Much Soul

When Cindy Wilson enters a room, observers see an Asian American woman and make instant judgments about her character, her preferences, her roots. If they had waited to talk to her, they would discover an African American woman at her soul. Born in South Korea, Wilson was adopted by an African American couple stationed there on military assignment. Growing up back in the American South, she encountered puzzlement, bullying, and stereotyping, all of which she covers in her book, Too Much [Seoul] Soul.

Maha Freij: Woman on the MOVE

Maha Freij is a community jewel and national inspiration. The first Arab woman to earn the CPA designation in Israel, she brings her immigrant pluck and Palestinian tenacity to any job she undertakes. Currently serving as Executive Director of ACCESS in southeast Michigan, Maha joins us to talk about Mobilizing, Organizing, Vocalizing, and Empowering the Arab American community and well beyond in her adopted homeland.

Carlos Cortés: Owning One's Identity

"My name is Carlos, not Carl," young Carlos Cortés told the teacher at his new school, just before being sent to the principal's office. Seven decades later, Professor Emeritus Cortés emphasizes the importance of embracing one's full background across ethnicity, birthplace, language, and religion. He shares with us the need to honor cultural identity and monitor the influence of media on our children.

Maddalena Pistillo: Authentically Made in Italy

Authentically born and raised in Italy, entrepreneur Maddalena Pistillo joins us in the studio to talk about the importance of global travel, trans-Atlantic business, and the thrill of finding your place in a new culture.