You may have skimmed our lists of 30 things to do before you turn 30. See the complete list all at once and learn more about each item, with additional resources, links and photos. Read the rest of this entry »
The Next Generation series: Sibling dynamics in immigrant families
One quarter, one dime and one nickel – times four.
Every morning my mom took out $1.60 in change from her floral-print cardboard box. Every morning she pressed 40 cents – three coins – into the little palms of her three kid brothers: James, Thomas and David. It was cafeteria lunch money. Read the rest of this entry »
Short in stature, but not in reach: Bich Minh Nguyen’s novel will resonate with many
Short Girls, author Bich Minh Nguyen’s debut novel, is a tale of two sisters learning to reconcile their childhood with their present lives, which are starkly different from, yet strikingly parallel to, each other’s.
Raised in Michigan by Vietnamese immigrant parents, Van and Linny Luong are different in every visible way, apart from their height and physical Asian traits. Van is the diligent, studious daughter who marries her dream man and becomes an immigration lawyer. Linny is the trendy, arguably frivolous, Americanized younger sister who refuses to be confined by Vietnamese immigrant stereotypes. Read the rest of this entry »
30 Things Before 30: Part Three
The last installment includes a special bonus option for your 30th year. Leave a comment and let us know what you would add or what you’ve done! Missed the first two? Read the first ten here and the second ten here. Read the rest of this entry »
Like Mother, Like Daughter: Family
Three cultures. Two generations. One bond. This Shift series delves into the lives of mothers who came to the United States from other countries and the daughters they have raised here.
When we arrived at Christine Stef’s house in Arlington Heights, cars jammed the driveway. But there was no party. Christine, a 22-year-old nursing student, was simply home where she lives with her parents and two siblings. They each have a car. Read the rest of this entry »
Like Mother, Like Daughter: Culture
Three cultures. Two generations. One bond. This Shift series delves into the lives of mothers who came to the United States from other countries and the daughters they have raised here.
From Agatha dreading Polish school to Dorina balancing her Mexican traditions with her husband’s, second generation daughters often walk a fine line between staying connected to their heritage and mainstream American culture. Read the rest of this entry »
Like Mother, Like Daughter: Career
Three cultures. Two generations. One bond. This Shift series delves into the lives of mothers who came to the United States from other countries and the daughters they have raised here.
Dorina was the first person in her family to earn a degree, but she didn’t stop there. She went on to earn a master’s degree and is considering pursuing a PhD. She savors the independence of being an educated woman and describes a very different picture of a woman’s role in Mexico. Education is important to Christine and Agatha as well.
Like Mother, Like Daughter: Pride
Three cultures. Two generations. One bond. This Shift series delves into the lives of mothers who came to the United States from other countries and the daughters they have raised here.
For the last part of the series we chose to stick to one question: Why, beyond the obvious, are these three immigrant mothers so proud of their second-generation daughters? This theme encapsulates the purpose of the project – to capture the unique bond that these pairs of mothers and daughters share. Read the rest of this entry »
Like Mother, Like Daughter
Three cultures. Two generations. One bond. This Shift video series delves into the lives of mothers who came to the United States from other countries and the daughters they have raised here. Hamsa Ramesha and I have interviewed three pairs of mothers and daughters about a generational gap that separates but more often binds them. Through in-depth interviews on family, career, culture and identity we learned that each pair shared core values. And what we found may surprise: their commonalities are a bridge. Read the rest of this entry »
A young Chicagoan’s first marathon leads to a new life
By the time 34-year old Lourdes Aceves made it to mile 20, the sun was beating down at 84 degrees. It was early October, and she was running down one of the longest unshaded stretches on the 2008 Chicago marathon. Nearly everyone else around her was walking. Some were sitting on the curb with ice on their heads, their heads in their hands; some had been vomiting from the unseasonable heat. By the end of the race, 125 people had been transported to medical tents, 76 ending up in the hospital. Read the rest of this entry »
Dreamers: Undocumented young adults face uncertainty
by Melina Kolb
PHOTOS BY MELINA KOLB
He did all the right things—made good grades, applied to college, graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a degree in architecture. But when it came to finding a job, Luis, 24, was hit with the reality that he was not a legal resident of the United States.
He has been working three years in a sandwich shop.
“You go up, but you’re still stuck,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »
