Jonny and Miranda met in 2016 during a vacation to New Orleans. He was visiting from England, and Miranda was on a girls trip.  Realizing something special was forming, they stayed in touch when they went their separate ways after the trip, but soon enough, their relationship turned into more. 

Although they lived an ocean apart, they were fortunate enough to see each other but of course, not as often as they would have liked to, and they had to have the conversation of who would move where for the relationship to progress.  In this episode, they share their experiences of the anticipation and anxiousness they felt going through the fiancé visa process, but for Jonny and Miranda, the emotional roller coaster of the process was worth it.   

This episode is an interview with Selena, who is not an immigrant herself, but has experienced the ups and downs of the immigration process, nonetheless.  Growing up, she had the constant reminder that her parents did not have legal status. They had entered the U.S. undocumented, which caused fear and uncertainty within her family’s structure because of the constant fear of deportation. Selena was also confronted by the hardships that many children who have immigrant parents face where their parents don’t speak English or their parents did not have the opportunity to get an education.  However, out of these hardships, she learned valuable life lessons.  

As she began finding her place in this world, her journey to find her purpose and give back becomes her motivation in life, and she continues to see the positive in a sometimes dim world.

Today, Selena is a proud first-generation college graduate who lives in the Salt Lake City area and shares her and her family’s story of endurance.

Cesar moved to Utah in 2015 from New York City, a city that gave him grit and determination, which would serve him well. He moved to the United States with his family when he was four years old from the Dominican Republic.  As Cesar grew up and became an avid baseball player, he began to question his parents about why he couldn’t do some of the things his teammates got to do. He later came to understand what not having legal status would mean for him and his future.  However, he wasn't fearful and didn’t see it as a hindrance but rather an impetus for his determination to succeed.     

On January 30, 2020, the Utah Supreme Court enacted a rule that would allow undocumented immigrants to practice law in Utah.  When Heidi started law school, the bar rules did not allow for that.  She is one of the two Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) recipients who petitioned the court for this change, making Utah a part of 10 other states that allow undocumented immigrants to practice law. 

Heidi is from Oaxaca, Mexico, and moved to the states in 1992 with her family.  Although she would soon understand what it meant to be undocumented in the states, she did not let her undocumented status stop her from pursuing her education and eventually a law degree. DACA has had a tumultuous history, and the future of the program is still unpredictable, leaving many like Heidi to become overwhelmed by fear and anxiety of what may come. However, despite the uncertainty and obstacles, she has continued to pursue her dreams. Her courageous fight to push for a change in the Utah State Bar rules has paved a path and will have a lasting impact on undocumented immigrants who choose to pursue a legal career in Utah. 

As a successful entrepreneur, Hourt has embraced his independence without giving up his culture’s traditional family values. His story is a tale of the true American Dream. Hourt was born in a refugee camp on the border of Thailand and Cambodia after his parents fled the brutality of the Khmer Rouge. Once his family was sponsored by the Lutheran church to bring them to the United States, they moved into low-income housing in the Washington D.C. area. Eventually, his parents saved enough money to open several businesses, which eventually sparked his interest in also pursuing his own entrepreneurial journey. He thrives in his love for technology, and as Hourt continues on his entrepreneurial journey, he hopes that it will help to leave a lasting legacy for his family.   

Tracey is from Trinidad and Tobago, a dual-island country lined in the Caribbean.  With grandparents from Lebanon on one side and great-great-grandparents from East India on the other, Tracey knows all too well what a melting pot of cultures looks like.  Her husband’s pursuit of his dream to be able to become a U.S trained surgeon led them to moving to San Antonio, Texas in 2010. 

Tracey has her own family now and she can’t help but compare her childhood to her daughter’s as the differences between cultures surfaces.  Her interview will remind all of us that countries and cultures alike have values and teachings we can incorporate into our own lives, creating a space for celebrating each other as one.  

Simón is a successful corporate attorney in Utah, and an immigrant from El Salvador. A story of great turmoil and the unknown as his family left their war-torn country, Simón found ways to brave the obstacles that stood in his and his family’s journey to the U.S.  Although, his initial impression of the U.S. as a young child was not all that he had hoped it would be (his family left El Salvador to escape crime, drugs, and violence and moved into a neighborhood in California to find the same issues stemming in its communities), he nevertheless was lucky enough to have met people who were willing to mentor him, and found the opportunities in the U.S. that would define his path to success. His views of the U.S. have obviously changed, and he believes that it’s a country where seemingly impossible dreams can actually become a reality. You’ll also hear about the intense sacrifices made by his parents and the love he has for them. His desire to prosper in a new and ever-changing world so different from where he came from defines what he now knows about freedom.

On June 26, 2015, same-sex marriage became legal across the United States. For Leon, this was a pivotal moment, and it would mean he would be able to finally marry the love of his life, Bart, whom he had been with for many years.  

Leon is an immigrant from Australia and decided as a young adult he would go on a two-year mission for his church, which brought him to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he served the mission. He fell in love with Utah, and when he returned to Australia after his mission, he applied for a student visa and returned to Salt Lake City to attend college. He later met his husband, and because they were not able to legally marry for many years, it meant that they were not able to apply for the same immigration benefits as a married man and woman were be able to. You will hear about Leon’s immigration journey, and the roller coaster of emotions he went through. He is still a proud Australian, but he’s also found his home here in the United States with his love. 

Chau’s parents immigrated to the United States from Vietnam as refugees with their four young children. Chau was later born in a refugee camp in Indonesia, and she and her family made their way to the United States when she was still a baby.  Although her parents had their ideas of what success meant for their children, Chau did not follow that path.  Instead, she's pursued her passion as a stand-up comic, became a big sister with the Big Brother Big Sister program, and now works for a non-profit in Texas that helps children across the state.  Not only did she pave her own way while breaking the typical Asian stereotype, but Chau has also created her own happiness and community where she can thrive and grow in ways that may have been cut short if her parents did not instill the lesson of perseverance within her. 

Host and creator for the podcast, Linh Tran-Layton, shares what inspired her to create it.