sharing the life stories of immigrants, expatriates, and refugees to the United States
Feel Like You Belong TV is your source for real stories about the real people we call migrants. They may be the seasonal workers who traverse the country picking our daily produce.* They may be the expatriates who come on temporary assignment for their multinational companies. Or they may be the intrepid** souls who have committed to calling these United States their new homeland.
People have been migrating since time immemorial.*** They have moved for safety from earthquakes and drought. From war and disease. From persecution and economic hardship. They have the same characteristics as our immigrant forebears who gave up the familiarity and comfort of home in order to take risks and build a better life.
Join us here every week with these heroic storytellers and learn about what it is that still makes America a destination for entrepreneurs and risk-takers. The people who moved themselves and their families across deserts and oceans. People who add to each new generation’s vibrancy**** and can-do spirit. Welcome to Feel Like You Belong.
The needs of the Hispanic immigrant community are varied and often urgent. Services in demand run the gamut from nutrition education to job mentoring, legal counsel, language services, and domestic violence counseling. Sara Proaño speaks proudly of the rich resource that is the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan.
Kaushik Nag knows a thing or two about global workforce development. Working for Amway Corporation, Nag leads Talent Acquisition, Employee Benefits and Global Change Management functions in the multinational arena. He is also actively involved in building regional talent strategies for West Michigan. What's one critical element of that development? After seeking out highly qualified professionals from around the world, a major challenge is how to retain them. From Calcutta, India to Grand Rapids, Michigan, this human resources leader shares his observations on creating a sense of belonging.
When do our cultural perceptions become deceptions? Whenever we let stereotypes and unfounded assumptions take over our thought processes. Interculturalist Joe Lurie talks about five decades of global learning––from observations as well as personal missteps. He shares some of the wisdom from his new book and offers tips for immigrants who want to succeed in the U.S. workplace.
An immigrant child, Ana Ramirez-Saenz was raised in West Michigan by a single mom who worked long hours in a pickle factory. During her days at MBA school and at work in the banking industry, she saw first hand the lack of diversity in leadership and its cost on morale and the bottom line. Today, as President of La Fuente Consulting, she guides companies towards more inclusive practices and more powerful decision making. An exclusive chat with an insightful leader.
Love of an American made her move to the United States. Love of food from her Brazilian homeland made her enter local cooking contests. And an entrepreneurial spirit made her a baker of the tasty pão de queijo, a staple of her childhood and reason for her growing business. Love and a Brazilian oven in Kalamazoo, Michigan!
David Alvarez grew up on the thin slice of rock between earth, sky, and sea called Gibraltar. With a view of the dying vestiges of British colonialism in his own life, he launched on a career of researching and telling about that provocative legacy in other lands. He chats with us about S. Africa, Palestine, and Healing Children of Conflict.
Jorge Gonzalez is a community connector. Born in Michigan to immigrant parents, he spent part of his youth in Mexico and part in the Grand Rapids Public Schools. With a background in banking and community development, he is the perfect choice to lead the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce into its next phase of growth. Join us as he talks about the power of education and the need for all citizens to be culturally competent in today's marketplace.
Kizombo Kalumbula has seen the ravages of war and genocide. His homeland, the Democratic Republic of Congo was torn apart by decade-long hostilities that killed over 5 million citizens. Today, Kalumbula is co-founder and pastor at Tabernacle Community Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His doctoral studies in health psychology are aimed at understanding resiliency among traumatized individuals, with applications for people of his native Congo as well as those touched by his daily urban ministry.
Brian Kingshott's mother liked to say her son "came into the world with a bang!" Find out how as Alan interviews Brian Kingshott, an anti-terrorism expert and professor of criminal justice. As a former British intelligence officer, Cornwall and Devon constable, and WW2 bombing survivor, Brian gives us insights on world history and police work... all wrapped up in his inimitable charm and British English accent!
When fleeing war and destruction, people act decisively and powerfully. Though they break free from the land, their hearts are often left behind. Reliving the emotions of the times, Anh Tran tells of her family’s escape out of Vietnam during the 1975 Fall of Saigon. After the tears come resolution, hard work, and the resilience to make life work in a strange new land...along with the kindness of strangers.
“How do I buck the expectations of my parents and a billion people back home?” Chinese students in the U.S. ask this question this every day. “Do I listen to the counsel of my family, as tradition dictates? Or do I follow the passions of my heart?” Creative business strategist Ning Liu talks about her life journey in the context of this cultural conundrum.
Seeking asylum from the Ethiopian civil war, Nardos Osterhart settled in the U.S. with her parents and siblings. If this child of a diplomat learned one thing, it was adaptation. That hard-earned determination got her through college, landed her a job in healthcare, and propelled her onto – of all places – a comedy stage! Stay tuned. After our conversation, Nardos shares some of her home-grown humor with Feel Like You Belong viewers.
Metta Anongdeth knew something was wrong when her grandmother came to bathe and dress her and her young siblings with tears in her eyes. It turned out to be the day her parents would smuggle their family out of Communist Laos, leaving extended family behind--perhaps forever. Don't miss this inspiring story of danger, courage, and embracing a new life in a distant land.
In his youth in Mexico, Dante Villarreal began his riding career on the humble donkeys of his grandfather. Decades later, this Michigan business consultant raises and rides "the Cadillac of horses" in the Americas: the elegant Paso Fino. Join us in the studio to hear how opportunity and hard work transformed the life of one migrant farm family from Tamaulipas, Mexico.
Call it serendipity. Call it kismet. Any way you frame it, Attila Mosolygó will tell you there are forces in the universe more powerful than the decisions one makes alone. His career in ballet? Blame it on his six-year-old sister! His residency and ultimate U.S. citizenship? Credit his parents' decision to take a "little vacation" across the Atlantic! Join us as we hear the story of a boy from Hungary who finds life fulfillment an ocean away from home.
This week, Alan interviews Vandana Magal on her newly released documentary on modern communication trends of immigrants and refugees to the U.S.
Ethnic clashes. The Black Panthers. Urban renewal. The Daley Machine. Chicago, Illinois was a turbulent town in the 1960s and 70s. Join us as we talk to Puerto Rican-born civil rights activist José “Cha-Cha” Jimenez. He shares with Alan his personal experience with drugs, street gangs, and the social and political forces that shaped a major U.S. city.
What would you do if you became ill in a country where you didn't speak the language? Fortunately for thousands of patients in the U.S., this is the very issue that Carlos Pava concerns himself with. As Vice President for Voices for Health, Carlos supplies interpreters to hospitals so that patients can receive care in their first language when it matters the most--in a medical crisis. Join us as we explore the medical side of language and culture!
Joining Alan in the studio is cancer researcher Anthony Chang. Curious since his elementary school days, Anthony tells of his love for learning: from plumbing systems to martial arts. What makes this medical physicist passionate about his life in the U.S.? Creating micron-scale views of cancer tissue and sharing this pursuit of knowledge with his American students.
Three international students tell of their lives, their dreams, and a few stereotypes they'd like to debunk. Join Alan as he talks with Danilo (Cameroon), Paola (Italy), and Nargilya (Turkmenistan), in town for the annual international student conference.
Feel Like You Belong is a sometimes serious, sometimes funny, always “touch-your-heart” real conversation about fitting into the American culture. It introduces guests who have made the immigrant journey to the United States. The stories–of both struggle and success–will help newcomers feel more confident in sharing their opinions and expertise, more likely to want to stay in the U.S., be more productive in their jobs, and fully invest in their communities.
