In this episode, my guest Dr. Kareem Heslop from last week shares Part 2 of his immigrant story.

Dr. Kareem was born in Jamaica. At age 4, Kareem left his birth family to live with a retired couple from around Portland Province. He lived with his adopted family since then and became a part of a stable and loving home. Kareem knew at the young age of 12 that he wanted to be a scientist. He knew he wanted to attend college, but it would be difficult financially. It was then he set his sights on academic scholarships. He was one of the first recipients of the program, Passport to College program, a nonprofit established to assist STEM students living in the Caribbean in realizing their dreams to attend college and match them to scholarships at historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the US. Ultimately, it was Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC, that offered them the best academic scholarships. He arrived in the US in 2013 to pursue his studies.

Kareem is an achiever. He committed himself to research experience at Claflin, Stanford University, and MUSC. In 2015, he took first place and the Black Apollo Science Award for his undergraduate research at the 15th annual Dr. Ernest E. Just Science Symposium. At the young age of 28, Kareem is a Ph.D. graduate in biomedical sciences from MUSC. Kareem will begin a post-doctoral position at Genentech. This leading biotech company is focused on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of medicines to treat patients with life-threatening conditions.

In the last episode, (Episode 48), Kareem talked about life in Jamaica, how he arrived in the US, how he and his classmates worked together to apply for academic scholarships, and he shared the people who helped him settle in the US and guided him through university admission requirements, etcetera.

In this episode, Dr. Kareem and I discussed:

• The story of how he and his classmates built a group that fosters a strong sense of community as they shared resources to help each other
• How he and the people who supported them built the Passport to College program, a nonprofit established to support incoming students
• Cultural differences and observations about life in Jamaica and living in the US
• Some personal adjustments he had to make as he interacted with people
• Things he wished he learned before that he knew now, in order to prepare him for life in the US
• His post-doctoral position at a leading biotech company

Connect with Dr. Kareem Heslop here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareem-heslop-b155769a/

Let's Connect!

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Immigrant-Experience-In-America-103525698906957

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonewjohnson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimmigrantexperiencepodcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theimmigrantexperience

Check out the previous episodes of The Immigrant Experience in America here: http://thedreamacademy.us/podcast/

In this week's episode, I have Dr, Kareem Heslop joining me.

Dr. Kareem was born in Jamaica. At age 4, Kareem left his birth family to live with a retired couple from around Portland Province. He lived with his adopted family since then and became a part of a stable and loving home. Kareem knew at the young age of 12 that he wanted to be a scientist. He knew he wanted to attend college, but financially it would be difficult. It was then he set his sights on academic scholarships. He was one of the first recipients of the program, Passport to College program, a nonprofit established to assist STEM students living in the Caribbean in realizing their dreams to attend college and match them to scholarships at historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the US. Ultimately, it was Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC, that offered them the best academic scholarships. He arrived in the US in 2013 to pursue his studies.

Kareem is an achiever. He committed himself to research experience at Claflin, Stanford University, and MUSC. In 2015, he took first place and the Black Apollo Science Award for his undergraduate research at the 15th annual Dr. Ernest E. Just Science Symposium. At the young age of 28, Kareem is a Ph.D. graduate in biomedical sciences from MUSC. Kareem will begin a post-doctoral position at Genentech, a leading biotech company that is focused on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of medicines to treat patients with life-threatening conditions.

In this episode, Dr. Kareem and I discussed:

• His background, where he came from, and how he arrived in the US
• Passport to College (PTC) program that helps STEM students from the Caribbean in realizing their dreams to attend college in the US
• Life in Jamaica and his blended family
• Life as a student
• Culture, music, and food in Portland Province, the northeastern end of Jamaica where he grew up
• How he got into the PTC program, the application process, and how he and his classmates teamed up, sharing their experiences and resources to navigate the college scholarship process together.
• How his move to the US as a student in an HBCU in the Rural South provided a safe space for him and allowed him to focus on his studies, without the pressure to assimilate into US society immediately
• Kareem shared stories about his arrival in the US, about The Harrises, who were instrumental in guiding them through the university's admissions requirements from the visa process and, tests, and financial aid

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this episode coming out next week.

Connect with Dr. Kareem Heslop here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareem-heslop-b155769a/

Let's Connect!

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Immigrant-Experience-In-America-103525698906957

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonewjohnson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimmigrantexperiencepodcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theimmigrantexperience

Check out the previous episodes of The Immigrant Experience in America here: http://thedreamacademy.us/podcast/

In this week's episode, I have Tijana Brien joining me.

Tijana immigrated with her family during her pre-teen years. She was born in Sarajevo, in the former Yugoslavia, now known as the country of Bosnia. She has a mixed heritage, her father being Croatian and her mom Bosnian. She is a successful full-time lawyer who is now a partner at her law firm, Cooley LLP. Tijana's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and securities litigation matters.

She has substantial experience in a wide range of disputes both in federal and state court, including contract disputes, securities class actions, and shareholder derivative and books and records litigation. Tijana is a trusted advisor and fierce advocate for her clients. Her clients include individuals, venture capital firms, early-stage start-ups, and publicly-traded companies in various industries, including life sciences and technology. Tijana also maintains a robust pro bono practice focusing primarily on immigration, criminal defense, and environmental protection matters.

In this episode, Tijana and I discussed:

• Her immigration story and her Slavic heritage
• How they initially entered the US as a refugee, where she recalls the initial struggles they went through as refugees seeking a better life in the US
• Tijana recalled what life and the culture were like in the former Yugoslavia before the war broke out
• Music and her native Slavic-based language
• She recalled life during her teenage years, how her parents adjusted to improve their English, and how they assimilated as a family to live in the US
• Tijana talked about opportunities that came her way that helped fuel her dream to become a lawyer
• How she managed to balance and find ways to hold on to her cultural roots after immigrating and still build her cultural identity as an immigrant
• Dating life
• Advice for new and aspiring immigrants

Connect with Tijana Brien here:

Website: https://www.cooley.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tijana-brien-martinovic-b11781b

Let's Connect!

Website: http://thedreamacademy.us

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Immigrant-Experience-In-America-103525698906957

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonewjohnson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theimmigrantexperience

Check out the previous episodes of The Immigrant Experience in America here: http://thedreamacademy.us/podcast/

In this week’s episode, I have Janine Wiggins joining me.

Janine is a certified federal career coach and certified federal job search trainer. Her business, Resumes by Neen, LLC, provides resume and coaching services for individuals transitioning from a private sector position into a government job. Her company also provides resume services for service members transitioning out of the military into a federal or civilian job. She is a graduate of the University of Mobile with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and 5+ years of experience in the resume writing business. She worked for 13 years in the corporate world as a healthcare business analyst before becoming a full-time entrepreneur pursuing her Masters in Business Administration.

As the spouse of a veteran, she understands the challenges faced by transitioning into civilian roles. Her passion is empowering federal employees, individuals seeking federal employment, and veterans and their spouses to attain careers that allow them to live on purpose.

In this episode, Neen and I discussed:

• Her education and professional background
• How she transitioned from corporate to full-time entrepreneurship
• Utilizing the power of social media to engage with, and empower job seekers and to grow her brand’s social media presence
• Why she decided to narrow down her niche to the federal job sector
• How federal job seekers are empowered to advocate for themselves and negotiate things such as salary, annual leaves, remote working agreements, etcetera
• We shared stories of unethical hiring practices such as lowballing job offers, and we talked about tips on salary negotiation
• The challenges and likelihood of immigrants getting lowball salary offers because of their desire and excitement to enter the workforce immediately after arriving in the US
• Neen’s cultural heritage and immigrant story
• Racial identity and how it can be a source of complications with self-identity for young people
• How to see and turn your multi-racial heritage, and bi-lingual into an asset in the workplace
• What it was like growing up as an immigrant with a Panamanian culture and as an Afro-Latina
• Opportunities Neen was blessed with that helped her get opportunities and took advantage of to help in her education
• Advice for new and aspiring immigrants

Connect with Janine Wiggins here: 

Website: https://www.resumesbyneen.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resumesbyneen

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janinewiggins

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResumesByNeen

Let’s Connect!

Website: http://thedreamacademy.us

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Immigrant-Experience-In-America-103525698906957

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonewjohnson

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theimmigrantexperience

Check out the previous episodes of The Immigrant Experience of America here: http://thedreamacademy.us/podcast/

Part 2 of Cecilia Li's story. 

In this week’s episode, I have Cecilia Li joining me.

Cecilia Li is a Chief Information Officer with a career of success as a strategic partner to executive management and board of directors delivering vision, and recommendations while leading cross-functional teams in a dynamic environment. 

With over 20 years of experience with a focus on customer service and digital transformation, she is often discussing relevant topics in conferences and webinars related to cyber security, innovation, business intelligence, automation, and operations optimization. 

She currently works at Urban Edge Properties; a New York stock exchange (NYSE) listed real estate investment trust and plays an active role in bettering the built environment. She was the recipient of several awards in the industry, including best use of automation, Innovation ambassador of the year, and nominated for the Julie Devine Digital Impact as a consistent thought leader. She serves as an Advisor for Realcomm and is a leadership board member of the real estate cyber consortium. She was also the co-chair for this year’s Realcomm conference, where they discussed and showcased the latest technology trends and best practices in the industry.

In part 1 of this episode, Cecilia and I talked about:

• Family life, her kids, and volunteer work
• What it’s like growing up with a mixed heritage and the blending of cultures
• Cecilia talked about Venezuelan life and culture
• The Venezuelan economic collapse
• Arriving to the USA as an immigrant during her teenage years, and learning the language
• How she adjusted to life in the USA as a new immigrant
• Switching careers from fashion to tech industry
• Challenges and how she built her network and support system
• Advice and tips for new immigrants
• Living into your authentic self
• And so much more!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this episode coming out next week.

Let’s Connect!

Website: http://thedreamacademy.us

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Immigrant-Experience-In-America-103525698906957

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonewjohnson

Check out the previous episodes of The Immigrant Experience of America here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-immigrant-experience-in-america/id1595952623

Check out the previous episodes of The Immigrant Experience In America here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-immigrant-experience-in-america/id1595952623 

Cheryl Phills-King originates from St. Vincent where her main focus was education.  She later migrated and worked in the Drew University Library. Mrs. Phills-King has an active lifestyle through formal employment and volunteerism. Her husband Baldwin King was a professsor at University of the West Indies and Drew University, New Jersey and is currently the Professior Emeritus of Chemistry Department - Drew University. The couple has entered the documentation and publishing of the Caribbean experience (2 volumes of Caribbean trailblazers among others) in their latter years - see several publications by Ms. Phills-King and her spouse Baldwin King. "People need to be honored when they are alive" and"Reward sweetens labor."

Mrs. Phills-King and her husband are driven by the business of giving back, being community conscious. "I am only one but still I am one. I cannot do everything but still I can do something.  And becuase I cannot do everyhting, I will not refuse to do something I can do" - Edward Everett Hale

If you or anyone you know would like to be interviewed to add of our Human Library of immigrant stories, call us at 240-232-5579 or email us at [email protected]

Jenniffer Whyte is a Spanish teacher in a private school setting. She migrated from the Dominican Republic via her father where she resided in New York, later Atlanta metro area and later settling in Alabama. In this episode, Jenniffer - an afro-latina in the south, details her journey as a black latina navigating racism, prejudice while serving as a mom, pastor's wife, spanish teacher, podcaster and so many more. 

If you or anyone you know would like to be interviewed to add of our Human Library of immigrant stories, call us at 240-232-5579 or email us at [email protected]