Industries
Former Hotel Executive Says his Chain Couldn’t Have Thrived without the Contributions of Refugee Workers
Tom Negri has worked in hotels his entire life. After graduating from high school, he moved to Colombia for school and work. At the Hotel Irotama in Colombia, he met his future wife. By age 21, while attending the New York Hotel School, Negri was married and working six days… Read More
For This Immigrant & Policy Scholar, Immigration and Education Go Hand in Hand
The distinguished career of Dr. Vichet Chhuon, a thought leader in U.S. education policy, is a direct result of his own multicultural background and his family’s experiences as Cambodian refugees. As an associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Chhuon’s work focuses on multicultural education and the experiences of underserved… Read More
University President Once Fled the Communists — Now He Presides Over a Diverse Group of Promising Students
As President of Miami Dade College, Eduardo Padrón presides over 170,000 students, most of whom are immigrants or the children of immigrants, Graduates include mayors, lawyers, police and fire chiefs, and prominent political figures such as U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the first Cuban-American… Read More
Esteemed Scholar and Khmer Rouge Refugee Speaks to Value Immigrants Bring a Country
When it comes to immigration, noted professor and political scientist Dr. Sophal Ear recalls a statement on Indochinese refugees made by former U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. “He was basically saying that America is a nation of refugees,” Dr. Ear says. “His point was, everybody who has come to… Read More
Cuban Immigrant, Business Leader, and Veteran Believes America’s Growth Starts with Immigration
If local governments handed out MVP awards to their community members, Jorge Gutierrez of Woodstock, Virginia would surely be in contention. Four years ago, after 26 years of service, he retired from the United States Army and opened his own consulting business, BMOC Group, which is estimated to generate around… Read More
Despite Challenges, Undocumented Youth Earns Her Degree While Giving Back to the Community
Shawnee Taveras, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who recently earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology, has come to recognize that immigration reform — and a new attitude toward undocumented individuals — is vital. “When we came here, we didn’t come to steal; we came to get a better education,”… Read More
From Flea Markets to International Board Rooms, Malaysian American Epitomizes Immigrant Entrepreneurship
“My mom always encouraged me to be entrepreneurial,” says serial entrepreneur and angel investor Cheryl Yeoh. As a teenager in Malaysia, Yeoh would sell inventory from her mother’s catalogue company to local corporations and set up flea markets during school holidays. “I learned a lot about sales, negotiations,… Read More
This Peoria-Based Doctor and Medical Professor Sees Everyday How Immigrants Help Her Community Thrive
Between 1971, when Dr. M. Miller joined the faculty of the newly opened University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, Illinois, and today, she has seen the city’s foreign-born population more than double. She attributes much of the area’s economic success to their contributions. On a personal… Read More
Republican Professor Says Immigration Reform Is Vital for the U.S. Economy
During his 33-year career as a professor at the University of Illinois, College of Medicine at Peoria, Tom Hjelle, now retired, witnessed a dramatic demographic shift in the medical school. What began as a predominantly white and male student body transformed into one that draws men and women from different… Read More
Why Do Migrant Workers Deserve Immigration Reform? Because They Help Uphold the American Economy
Annaliza Gourneau, a Commissioner of the Mesilla Valley Public Housing Authority and a Program Coordinator with the nonprofit HELP-New Mexico, Inc. (HELP-NM), knows firsthand what it’s like to grow up without a permanent home. “As a migrant child you experience homelessness,” she says. “You’re borderline homeless, or you are homeless. Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
