In this episode, host Sylvan interviews Kristian, an immigrant from Finland.

 Kristian recounts why he is in the United States, California specifically. His father and grandfather loved to travel. They have been to every continent in the entire world. Out of all the continents and nations in the entire world, Kristians father believes that California is the best one. When Kristians parents broke up, his father wanted him to prosper in the best place on earth, California. Kristian had a much easier journey to get here unlike most immigrants. The only obstacle he could recount is getting used to the time zone change. Kristian succeeds the same way here just as any other United States citizen.

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 AJ interviews Gaby, her mother, who is an immigrant from Mexico. Gaby walks us through her journey starting off in Mexico then to the states. She goes into depth of hardships she went through such as raising her first kid in Mexico, getting through to the states, learning English, and facing racism. She shares that in those moments of darkness though, there was still light.

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 Ari interviews Ramiro Rosales (her dad), Who immigrated to america at 16 from his small town in mexico called Toluca

Ramiro tells his story of immigrating and the troubles of doing so. He speaks about how different it was

when he got here, as he did live a luxurious life in Mexico with maids and being able to just pick up and leave whenever he wanted. His parents wanted to have one son in the states and another in Mexico but

his brother had other plans. He learns to become independent for himself and creates a new life for

himself.

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 Sydney interviews her close friend Jillian, an immigrant from canada.

Jillian explains her journey to the U.S. She talks about her troubles with her family, and moving away, as well as the transition between languages in school.

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 Maile interviews Carole, an immigrant from Yugoslavia. 

Carole recounts the political and racial discrimination that not only led to her personal struggles but also contributed to the downfall of her home country, Yugoslavia. She reflects on the beauty, suffering, and hardship she endured while seeking sanctuary across various countries before ultimately building a stable life, education, and career in the United States. Through her journey, Carole emphasizes the importance of perseverance, determination, and staying true to oneself.

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 Evey Reyes interviews her maternal grandmother Maria Rebecca Munoz Rodrigues , an immigrant from Mexico. 

My grandmother was born into a 12 person household, being the second oldest sibling of the pack, she and her older sister rosa helped their parents raise their 10 other siblings and make ends meet in Tijuana. 

When she was 8 years old her mother sent her to live with a friend in America, and help take care of her children and house. My grandmother babysat, cleaned, cooked and slept in a closet for almost 7 years before getting married at 15 and raising her own children in america by 17. She spent the rest of her life here in America raising 6 kids of her own and following her own american dream. 

The conversation dives into the complexities of the immigrant journey, highlighting the courage, challenges, and successes of those who leave their homeland to build a new life.

[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, hosted by Alyssa, she is joined by her grandmother, Rose, who migrated from the Philippines over 50 years ago.

Rose briefly describes her simple journey to America from the Philippines; with the help of her military husband. She takes a deep dive into the immense sense of pride and love she has for everything in her new home. Rose shares the cultural heritage and traditions she is passing down the generations born in the United States.

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 Freddy interviews Dennis, a recent immigrant from Russia.

Dennis tells his story of coming to America with his family and how it was not that scary and it was an almost seamless switch to the us. He talks about how his dad had a visa and then how they all ended up getting their green cards and how he didn’t know English and how he got help. But there was something that messed up his speech just a tad bit when one of his instructors made him say his R word and now he speaks like that. He says that America is okay, but when he gets older, he wants to go back to Russia and be with his family.

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 Ella interviews Dolly, a migrant from California who moved to Colorado and later returned back to California.

Dolly shares her journey of moving to Colorado for work, along with her husband and young child. While living there they adjusted to a new environment, lifestyle, and social culture. She talks about how she found a sense of home there, despite the challenges of being in a different place. Eventually, she moved back to California and opened up about what it was like to adapt once again.

The conversation explores the complexities of the migrant 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, the host Caleb interviews Jackson, a naturalized American citizen who was born in the Philippines.

As the two friends talk, we learn about how Jackson and his family immigrated to the U.S; his current living situation with his family; and how he connects with his family in the U.S and in the Philippines.