Hello! My name is Daniel Yiv. I like to play soccer and learn new things in my free time. I'm 15 and currently in my first year at The Preuss School UCSD. I am a family of 4. I live with my aunt, my younger brother, and my parents. My parents came to the US because of the civil war happening in Cambodia. My parents went to the US with little knowledge of American culture. They worked long hours at various jobs and soon later became hairstylists. My parents try to give me the best life possible by giving me extracurricular classes and resources … [Read more...]

My name is Maiwand Salehi, I am 14 years old and part of the first generation in my family. I live with my Parents and 5 brothers and no sisters. I moved to America from Afghanistan when I was eight in 2016 due to the war in Afghanistan. It was a hard switch for me. The American culture was way different than the Afghanistan culture. My Parents risked everything for me and my brothers. I tried my best to switch by learning English in school and trying to fit in. My parents worked really hard for me to have a successful life in a country I was … [Read more...]

My Name is Hernan Perez. I am a 15-year-old living in San Diego living with my 2 brothers, and sister, along with my mother and father. I attend e3 Civic High, a unique high school located downtown where I am currently a sophomore. Shortly after starting my sophomore year, I found that the majority of my time was devoted to school work studying for my 2 AP classes, and being part of my school's ambassador team where I had to make time to give tours of the school to incoming scholars and helping with school activities. In the beginning, I had … [Read more...]

My Name is Chizitere Jessica Alozie, an incoming Junior at Gompers Preparatory Academy. I am Nigerian. I have 2 Immigrant parents, three sisters, and two brothers. I love to sing, cook, dance, work out, and play basketball during my free time. As a student, I tend to be involved in many things. I volunteer at STARPAL, a Leadership and community service engagement program; I have been with this program for the last two years. I am also a part of an all-girls program called FANCY, a program that helps develop essential workforce skills and … [Read more...]

Imagine your parents separating when you were 4, constantly getting evicted, and moving schools. My mother is an immigrant from another country and raised 5 children in San Diego. Like many immigrants, my mother grew up in extreme poverty. She grew up in a household never knowing where her next meal would come from. She has 7 siblings, so she understands the struggles of needing to get by and was faced with many difficulties raising my siblings and me as well as her own siblings. She was the only person in her family who somewhat knew English. … [Read more...]

Hello! My name is Vy Ho, I am a junior at The Preuss School UC San Diego. I am a first-generation Vietnamese immigrant. I live with my parents and younger sister in a low-income household. My dad is a tailor, and my mom is a nail technician. Growing up, I attended school in Vietnam until the age of six. Every morning, I arrived at school on our old broken-down motorbike. On lucky days, my dad surprised me with half a banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich, or some loose change for snacks. At home, I had a small foldable desk, where I crisscrossed on … [Read more...]

Hello! My name is Vy Nguyen (as in the letter 'V'); a freshman AOIT(Academy ofInformation Technology) student at Hoover High School. I’ve lived in City Heights ever sincemoving to San Diego at the age of 6 from Tây Ninh, Vietnam. Like many immigrants, my mother grew up incredibly poor. In a place where education was limited, she’d drop in and out of school as her family was unable to sustain the tuition, resulting in an incomplete education. Not wanting her children to suffer the same circumstances, she migrated to America, still working just … [Read more...]

My name is Jude Qaddoura, and I'm currently a freshman at Escondido Charter High School. I’ve lived in Escondido for my entire life, with the exception of some surrounding cities and staying in Jordan for a few months. My parents, both hard working immigrants, came to the United States around the age of 18, and have worked hard to get to the point where they were able to support themselves and start a family. Growing up I struggled with anxiety and had to find ways I could work around it, meaning I had to give myself the confidence to go out … [Read more...]