Immigrant Voices Project Podcast

One of our strongest tools for fostering acceptance and empathy, and for bridging cultures and people, is storytelling. That’s why we’re thrilled to share the Immigrant Voices Podcast Project.

The Immigrant Voices Podcast Project features interviews with our very own GPA ESOL community members, who have courageously made the U.S. their home. In their own words, they describe the lives and people they left behind in their native countries, their journeys here, and the struggles and successes they have experienced along the way. Our guests are parents of dreamers, dreamers themselves, and undocumented to naturalized citizens – each with a singular experience and perspective of life in the U.S. as an immigrant.

Numerous volumes are available today. Listen here or below:

Episode 1: Nicolasa reflects on the long, difficult journey she traveled to pursue an education after emigrating from the Dominican Republic at the age of 18. Today, she holds a master’s in education and provides technology support to over 100 immigrant families in Boston.

Episode 2: Perla, who came to the U.S. from Guatemala at a very young age, shares how her hard-working family persevered to build a secure home here – despite the ever-present threat of deportation. Now a DACA recipient, Perla uses her master’s in social work to help other immigrant families.

Episode 3: Adson tells of the culture shock he and his wife Aleide experienced after leaving behind their family, friends, and careers in Brazil. As a concert coordinator, journalist, and musician in his native country, he found himself suddenly painting houses in Boston. Yet, he adapted. A successful entrepreneur, Adson now owns his own home improvement company.

From 10 years of students, teachers, and volunteers who form part of the growing community at the Gardner Adult Education ESOL Program, our Immigrant Voices podcasts will feature their journeys to the U.S., the people our immigrant guests have left behind in their native countries, and the actions they have taken to make Boston their new home. Conversations will touch on their struggles, successes, and dreams for the future. We will also invite our guests to comment on how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted their lives and livelihoods. Participants will range from parents of “dreamers,” “dreamers” themselves, undocumented to naturalized citizens, and everything in between.

George from Lebanon – Immigrant Voices Podcast Project

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 him to the U.S. for 5 months in 2018. The catastrophic explosion in Beirut in the summer of 2020 caused him to leave his life in Lebanon behind and resettle his family permanently in Boston. They arrived in at the height of the pandemic. Their first apartment was one-quarter the size of their Beirut house. Starting with no furnishings save a mattress on the floor, George slowly made a new home and a new life for himself and his family.