In this episode, Kirill Kapunin (American-born citizen) interviews his mom, Zoya Popova, an outstanding and caring Russian immigrant. Together, they explore her stories of the past, hopes of the future, and especially the importance of family and acceptance. 

Zoya experienced a somewhat grim time after the fall of the USSR, with tension and general unrest surrounding the population. Following her mother’s steps, she found a new life in America – but somewhat struggled with the endless options and various opportunities (or often lack thereof). Eventually she finds stable ground, though there are still several uncertainties in the future to be dealt with. 

Is America much different from her past homeland? Or will it soon turn out to be the same environment she tried to escape?

The conversation explores the complexities of the immigrant experience, reflecting on the bravery, struggles, and triumphs of those who leave home and immigrate to start anew.

[This podcast is a project by 12th-grade students in Mr. Smith’s English class at Mission Vista High School in Vista Unified School District.]

This is an Interview with “Maria” a US Citizen who immigrated here.

Marina narrates her journey to the U.S with her one year old daughter, detailing an abused marriage and economic hardship that forced her to leave her home. She describes the challenges of navigating the immigration system, the isolation she felt, and the hardship of being a single mother without any help. Marina shares moments of hope, highlighting the kindness of strangers and the support she found with her new profound husband. 

The conversation explores the complexities of the immigrant experience, reflecting on the bravery, struggles, and triumphs of those who leave home and immigrate to start anew.

[This podcast is a project by 12th-grade students in Mr. Smith’s English class at Mission Vista High School in Vista Unified School District.]

EJ details his experiences of moving from the US to the Philippines then back to the US. He describes the struggles and cultural differences between the two extremely different countries. From why they decided to move to the US to the trials that come with being in a new place, EJ shares his story of his immigration to the US.

The conversation explores the complexities of the immigrant experience, reflecting on the bravery, struggles, and triumphs of those who leave home and immigrate to start anew.

[This podcast is a project by 12th-grade students in Mr. Smith’s English class at Mission Vista High School in Vista Unified School District.]

In this episode, host Brooke interviews Cooper, a migrant from Australia.

Cooper recalls his childhood in Australia and explains how he had to move for his father’s work. He describes the struggles that came with adjusting to moving back to America and being so far away from the friends he had made. Cooper also shares the differences in the culture, the holidays, and the seasons in Australia.

The conversation explores the complexities of the immigrant experience, reflecting on the bravery, struggles, and triumphs of those who leave home and immigrate to start anew.

[This podcast is a project by 12th-grade students in Mr. Smith’s English class at Mission Vista High School in Vista Unified School District.]

 In this episode, host Isabella interviews Alondra, a migrant from New Mexico.

Alondra recounts the drastic changes that occurred in her life at such a young age. The largest challenge for Alondra was having to balance changing schools constantly whilst her parents were in a divorce battle. She often felt different from those around her because they had friends and stable home lives. Though once she finally found her home in California her life began to take a turn for the better.

The conversation explores the complexities of the immigrant experience, reflecting on the bravery, struggles, and triumphs of those who leave home and immigrate to start anew.

[This podcast is a project by 12th-grade students in Mr. Smith’s English class at Mission Vista High School in Vista Unified School District.]

This conversation explores the reality of how it feels to be an immigrant, showing struggles, fear and bravery of people who leave everything behind in hopes for a better life

In this episode, host Andres interviews Guillermo, a US Citizen who immigrated from Colombia many years ago.

Guillermo shares his story of coming to the US and how it was dealing with arriving in an unfamiliar land. He talks about how he considers America his home instead of Colombia because of how much he has adapted to this environment. Lastly he shares his concerns about whether his children or grandchildren will remain true to their Colombian roots.

The conversation explores the complexities of the immigrant experience, reflecting on the bravery, struggles, and triumphs of those who leave home and immigrate to start anew.

In this episode, Jorge Martinez interviews Luisa, an immigrant from the Philippines. 

Luisa remembers all about her journey and how her parents wanted what was best for her, although at times things would be rough. Throughout the conversation, there is talk about the struggles and challenges that were faced when going through the process of getting to the United States. Luisa also goes into a lot of detail about how hard it was getting used to everything after being in the Philippines as a child. She had to learn a completely different language, which was not so easy to do. There were so many things that Luisa had no clue about, and some of those things she wished she had known about before arriving. In the end, things turned out to be just fine and she is now pursuing a career in the medical field. 

The conversation explores the complexities of the immigrant experience, reflecting on the bravery, struggles, and triumphs of those who leave home and immigrate to start anew.

This podcast is a project by 12th-grade students in Mr. Smith’s English class at Mission Vista High School in Vista Unified School District.

The conversation explores how moving to a new state provides a chance to start a new life and allowed Nolan to have a fresh start in his life, and explores how he defines "home."