Immigrant Voices Podcast Project
The Immigrant Voices Podcast Project brings you the voices of the courageous people who have made the U.S. their home. In their own words, you’ll hear about the lives and people they left behind in their native countries, their journeys here, their struggles and successes. You’ll hear from parents of “dreamers,” “dreamers” themselves, undocumented to naturalized citizens, and everything in between.
- Update frequency
- every 24 days
- Average duration
- 34 minutes
- Episodes
- 30
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2022
George from Lebanon
George dreamed of coming to the U.S. to further his education as a young man, but Lebanese politics got in the way of a student visa. When he was married with children, a family health crisis brought…
Milsy from the Dominican Republic
Open to adventure and romance, at the age of 21, Milsy decided to leave the Dominican Republic to join her boyfriend in the United States. “Why not?” she said, and got her passport and visa. Within a…
Rudi from Guatemala
Pay for teaching at a private school in Guatemala barely brought in enough money for Rudi to support himself. And certainly not enough to repay his parents for the sacrifices they had made for him. I…
Irani from Brazil
With poor prospects for college or broadening her horizons, Irani left her family farm in a remote part of Brazil in 1994 to join her brother and sister in the States. Her initial plan was to earn mo…
Remzi from Turkey
Since his elementary school days in Turkey, Remzi’s passion for history, geography, and meeting people worldwide has never ceased. In his early 20s, he befriended American GIs stationed in Turkey to …
Pedro from El Salvador
As a teenager and bait for gang recruitment, Pedro reluctantly fled El Salvador. This young father had to leave his wife and newborn son to seek asylum in the U.S., only to find himself ten years lat…
Xiomara from El Salvador
On course to become a graphic designer in her native country, Xiomara decided instead to join her husband, Pedro. He had escaped to the U.S. to avoid the violence and pressures local gangs in El Salv…
Archange from Haiti
A few months after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Archange, a trained and certified accountant but jobless, left Haiti to join his sister in the U.S. His journey here started a more extensive personal…
Jenny From Vietnam
An enterprising and resilient teenager in Vietnam, Jenny learned the art of sewing, creating stylish clothing for herself, her family, and her neighbors. Two more careers unfolded before marrying and…
William from Guatemala
At an early age, William had dreams of growing buildings instead of the crops that his parents raised on their rural farm in Guatemala. In the 90s, as an 18-year-old, he came to the United States to …
Sandra from Colombia
After the government threatened her livelihood as a trained social worker who championed the homeless, mentally ill, and gay population in a small Colombian town, 24-year-old Sandra sought asylum in …
Yongxing from China
Exposed to the United States through Hollywood films, Yongxing developed a craving for all things American. When a business trip brought him here for the first time, his infatuation with our country …
Caio from Brazil
Now In his mid-20s, Caio came to this country from Brazil with his parents when he was four years old. Although he has siblings still in Brazil, he hasn’t met them. Even though with the help of techn…
Maria from Guatemala
As she looked back over her thirteen years as an immigrant in the U.S., Maria’s biggest regret after leaving Guatemala and walking through a desert filled with venomous snakes, not enough food and wa…
Aleide from Brazil
Curious to experience life abroad and improve their finances, Aleide and her husband Adson—whose interview was one of the first in this series—decided to emigrate to the United States from Brazil in …
Sarah from Iran
Ever since receiving her green card hours before the travel ban in 2017, Sarah is able to navigate between two worlds. With her residency card and on a path for citizenship, she can still visit famil…
Geraldo from Brazil
Out of economic need and a desire to improve his family’s lifestyle, Geraldo and his wife arrived in the United States with their youngest son and a ten-year visa. Despite his college education in la…
Yenny from Venezuela
In their search for political asylum, Yenny and her children escaped Venezuela in 2015 to make their way to the United States. Unable to speak or understand English but with a determination to master…
Adriane from Brazil
With poor job prospects, and feeling unsafe in her native country, Adriane decided to leave Brazil and follow her mother and brother to the states in 2003. Crossing the border from Mexico into Texas …
Soe Soe from Myanmar (Burma)
When the events of 9/11, 2001 caused the U.S. to cancel all visas to Myanmar, Soe Soe reapplied. Her urgent goal was to come to Boston to join family members already settled in the States. She needed…