Stavroula Sofou Stavroula Sofou came to the United States of America in 1995 to study Chemical Engineering at Columbia University in New York City. It was not easy for her to leave her close-knit family in Greece, but the promise of an American education, that allowed one to pursue interdisciplinary studies was alluring. “I graduatedContinue reading “‘Becoming American’ Story # 8”
Author Archives: Saima Adil Sitwat
‘Becoming American’ Story # 7
DR. AZIZA SHAD Dr. Aziza Shad MD serves as the Ellen W.P. Wasserman Chair in Pediatrics and Chief, Division of Pediatrics Hematology/Oncology at The Herman & Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. However, her medical journey started many moons ago during a turbulent year in South Asia. In 1971, then seventeen-year-old AzizaContinue reading “‘Becoming American’ Story # 7”
Becoming American: Story # 6
Selina Doroshenko In 2014, then twenty-four-year-old Selina Doroshenko left her hometown of Montreal, Canada to pursue a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, Md. “I really choose Baltimore because my dream since I was a young child was to study art and to study in the US.Continue reading “Becoming American: Story # 6”
‘Becoming American’ Story # 5 Jay Polaki
The Bard’s words took Jay from Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), Ill. and eventually brought her to Maryland.
‘Becoming American’ Story #4
Zeyneb Sayilgan Zeyneb Sayilgan came to the United States of America in 2006 to further her studies in Islam and interreligious dialogue. Born and raised in Germany, to Kurdish parents from Turkey, Zeyneb saw herself as a bridge-builder; someone who can help build community connections and facilitate dialogue because of her “hybrid identity.” As aContinue reading “‘Becoming American’ Story #4”
‘Becoming American’ Story # 3: Anne Calinger
Anne Calinger was only 7 months old when she arrived from South Korea at John F. KennedyInternational Airport in New York, with her adopted parents. Yet, as she journeyed through life in America, she was constantly reminded that she was an ‘immigrant’.
‘Becoming American’ Story # 2 : Ale Balcazar “I didn’t know how privileged I was in my country, until I moved here”, said Ale Balcazar while reminiscing about her initial days in the United States of America. “You are labeled as Latina, you have an accent so you might not be smart enough,” she addedContinue reading
‘Becoming American’ Story #1: Fariha Hashimi In 1974, twenty- four year-old Fariha Hashimi came from Afghanistan to the United States of America, to visit her fiancée. Little did she know that events in her country would unfold in a way, that she would not be able to return until 2003. Fariha was born in Kabul,Continue reading
Introducing ‘Becoming American’
“What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? / The world would split open. I read these profound words by the American poet, Muriel Rukeyser, last year, which was much too late in my life. But they had a profound impact on me. As a non-white, minority woman in America IContinue reading “Introducing ‘Becoming American’”
Available for sale @ Amazon.com PRAISE FOR AMERICAN MUSLIM AN IMMIGRANT’S JOURNEY American Muslim captures a remarkable odyssey of an audacious woman, an immigrant, a mother and a brilliant leader. It’s powerful and honest. It reminds us all what it means to be an American, how it’s up to each and every one of us toContinue reading
Saima Adil Sitwat 