First Gen American Podcast

First Gen American Podcast

By firstgenamericanovSociety & Culture
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First Gen American Podcast episodes

  • First Gen American Ep.13 Faustin Dushimimana

    Faustin Dushimimana is a 19 year old immigrant from a refugee camp in Rwanda. He was given the opportunity to come to the U.S. when he was only 8 years old and not all of his family was allowed to come with him. Faustin says “Coming to the US was the best thing to ever happen to me because in the refugee camp there were no opportunities for me and my family. Now that I am in the US I would like to take the opportunity and help  make a difference not only in my life but in the lives of others in a similar situation.” Faustin is a budding entrepreneur still finding his path and learning to live in his truth.

    54 min
  • First Gen American Ep.12 Wilmer Infante

    Wilmer is the son of Dominican parents who arrived in Nashua NH in the 80's. He was born and raised in Nashua NH and has been working for Triangle Credit Union for 9 years going on 10 very soon! He has been working on a podcast called "Making Money Personal" put on by Triangle Credit Union where experts come to talk about money saving tips and every day finances.

    53 min
  • First Gen American Ep.11 Fahmina Zaman
    Please give a warm welcome to Fahmina Zaman!!!!
    Fahmina is a 29 year old Muslim First Generation American woman born in New York and raised in Vermont. Her family and ancestors come from an Indian subcontinent, more particularly Bangladesh, a small and densely populated country situated between India and Myanmar (Burma).
    Fahmina left Vermont in the pursuit of more opportunities for people of color after graduating high school. She moved to Lowell, MA where she found a more diverse community where she has contributed to for the last 10 years. She is an activist who worked for several non profits in the Lowell/Boston area including the International Institute of New England and The Center for Hope and Healing. Working for these non profits/activist groups, solidified her interests in the work that she does on a daily basis. She is especially passionate about amplifying voices in her community that have experienced gender based violence, BIPOC, immigrants, refugees, and LGBTQ+. Fahmina is currently the cultural outreach advocate for Nashua Bridges: Domestic and Sexual Violence Support, she is one of only 2 in the state of NH, where she connects with underserved communities as well as does anti-racism and anti-oppression work.
     
     

     

    54 min
  • First Gen American Ep.10 Founder & Owner of Glam Smiles, Felicia Luciano Santos
    Felicia is a 22 year old young entrepreneur, mother, and sexual abuse survivor that grew up in the foster care system in NH. When the system had failed her, Felicia found herself having to take care of herself at a very young age which helped build her independence. It was a long road of painful growth for Felicia but she was able to heal and continues talking about the process of healing as a journey and the importance of speaking out about sexual abuse.
    Felicia has been working hard in dental world for 5 years and decided to go into business for herself by starting Glam Smiles, a teeth whitening and gem service. She is passionate about helping people gain confidence in their smiles again and bringing a little extra glam to smiles here in NH. She provides a service that can be done in the home or in her office in Amherst, NH at the comfort of her clients. She says "I just love helping people feel beautiful and confident and I want to do that for the people in NH."
    53 min
  • First Gen American Ep.9 Head Coach for the Division 14 NPF Cheer Team & Founder of East Coast Tic Toc Tip Challenge, Jannette Valdez
    Jannette Valdez is a 37 year old single mom of 4.
    She is the Head Coach for the Division 14 NPF Cheer Team. As a first time head coach, She led the kids along with her coaching staff to win 1st place in the State and a trip to Florida to compete at Nationals.
    Three of her four kids are athletes with the Nashua PAL Force. New year's eve 2019-2020, she submitted a story to Recycled Percussion (Kings of Kindness) and her team was selected to perform with them at their NH Tour Show on NYE.
    She works full time for Wallboard Supply Company and is currently in the process of opening a small beauty business.
    53 min
  • First Gen American Ep.8 Francellis and Miguel Andres Quinones
    Francellis Quinones is the second of four girls to Dominican and Puerto Rican parents who immigrated to the United States as young adults. Due to the intricate and long process of immigration, her mother gave birth to two sisters in New York and 2 in the Dominican Republic. Her mother had to go back to New York in order to complete the legal immigration process, leaving Francellis and her sister without her parents for almost 2 years. Her family struggled to attain the American dream and achieved it by being able to own a home and send their daughters to college to obtain high degrees. Francellis learned from an early age to work hard and that she was destined for greatness. She obtained a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Master's degree in International Relations. As a mother of 2 beautiful daughters, wife, and a survivor of sexual violence, she has had a wonderful 15 year career as a history teacher in the Boston Public School system and currently work's as a Hiset teacher for an organization called UTEC, where she can implement all her learning to engineer thoughtful and engaging learning opportunities and inspire young people to change their lives.
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    Miguel Andres Quinones was born and raised in Boston after his father was murdered in Puerto Rico. Utilizing Sports as a way to cope with the loss, Miguel played multiple sports leagues winning several different championships in baseball, football, and basketball. He started his youth work as early as the age of 15 by coaching younger teams. He brought many of the youth in his neighborhood together for sports. Miguel started to pursue the path of education at the age of 16 with Teach Boston as a summer job where he worked with students who were considered in danger of repeating a grade. When he graduated, he became an Americorps member at City Year Boston and after his year of service, he helped develop and launch a national program called Citizens Schools where he worked for 8 years as the Senior Campus Director. Miguel trained the National Network along with leading his own enrichment program in the communities of Dorchester and Brighton. Miguel is currently working at The Center for Hope and Healing, a rape crisis center in Lowell, as the Engaging Men and Boys Project Director. He attends to survivors of sexual violence, leads men and boys in circles, runs after school programming components, and tackles conversations of masculinity. He has spoken on various topics at places such as the Ministry Black Alliance and Harvard.
    Francellis and her husband have started a new endeavor called Quinones Culture Consultants. They aim to build inclusive, supportive, and encouraging environments that help foster growth, productivity, and deeper connection in social justice or youth work. They offer trainings, healing circles, management, leadership skills, as well as curriculum and team building activities. They utilize and explore World and American history to address and tackle social justice issues. They are experienced in bringing these tools to businesses, schools, sports teams, nonprofit organizations and families.
    54 min
  • First Gen American Ep.7 Nashua Police Department Lt. Camacho
    Carlos Camacho is a Texas native that grew up in the Texas-Mexico border. His family is from Mexico and he remembers spending many weekends with extended family across the border in Mexico. Lt. Camacho is a U.S. Coast Guard Veteran and now a Lieutenant with the Nashua Police Department.
    Prior to working at the Nashua Police Department, he was a police officer for the Houston Texas Police Department. He is Chair of Nashua E.R.D. (Ethnic Racial Disparities) Committee and the Chair of the State of NH DMC (Disproportionate Minority Contact) Committee.
    He is also a member of the State Advisory Group on juvenile justice, which oversees DMC issues in the state of New Hampshire. Lt. Camacho is currently assigned as the Divisional Supervisor for Services Bureau, which deals with the daily operations of the Nashua Police Department, to include Community Policing. He is also involved with Nashua PAL and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Nashua.
    54 min
  • First Gen American Ep.6 Immigration rights advocate, Eva Castillo
    Eva came from Venezuela when she was just a young woman in the 80’s. When she arrived here, she went right to work for the Latino Center of New Hampshire. When they closed, Eva became a U.S. citizen and became an immigration rights advocate leading her to a life full of helping people become American citizens and helping them understand their rights here in NH. Eva has faced a number of racist encounters and yet she never grew tired or scared of her work. Eva works tirelessly to bring Latino issues to the forefront whether that means testifying at the State house or encouraging the Latino population to become civically engaged. Her passion for human rights cannot be matched! Stay tuned for an exclusive sneak peek to this week’s show!
    “My presence was an education of diversity. I have to make my presence known because if we as Latinos continue to stay quiet and keep with the status quo, we continue to stay complacent, we will not go anywhere and we will continue not to have the representation that we deserve. Our schools, our politicians, our systems do not represent the diversity of the people here in New Hampshire.” -Eva Castillo
    55 min
  • First Gen American Ep.5 Founder & Creative director of Positive Street Art, Manual Ramirez

    Manuel Ramirez, born to Dominican parents immigrated to the United States as a child. He dives into his struggles with becoming a US citizen to starting a local non-profit in Nashua, NH. He dissects the struggles of coming to the United States, going to college and maintaining his status all while trying to provide a life for himself and his family. He is currently the founder and creative director of Positive Street Art, a local non-profit bringing light to graffiti art, dance and more in the city. 

    54 min
  • First Gen American Ep.4 Enrique F. Mesa, Jr Immigration lawyer & Board member of the NH Legal Aid
    Enrique F. Mesa, Jr. inmigracion es mi pasion ® is an immigration lawyer with more than 10 years of experience, and is the managing partner of his firm based out of New Hampshire, but represents clients throughout the United States and the world. Cases include green card, naturalization, deferred action, deportation, waivers, and bond hearings. Mr. Mesa is qualified to practice in both Immigration Court and Board of Immigration Appeals. He is a highly experienced lawyer with significant experience in deportation and family related immigration law.
    The son of Cuban parents who came to the United States after Fidel Castro took over their home, Mesa has worked tirelessly to work to create partnerships with state and local police departments to stamp out notions of racial profiling. Having started his career in Miami, FL, Mr. Mesa spent the majority of his practice in the complexities of immigration law, particularly within the Latino/Hispanic communities.
    Mesa is very involved in the Latino/Hispanic community of New Hampshire as the chair of NH’s governor advisory commission on Latino affairs; a Board member of the NH Legal Aid, and many organizations doing great work.
    55 min

About First Gen American Podcast

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When you hear the phrase”First Gen American” what comes to mind!? My name is Oscar Villacis, a First Generation American and I want to enlighten your mind to everyday life as a First Gen in today’s…