More Than A Place
What does it mean to find a home? For many, home is the place where we feel safe, joyful, and welcomed by the people around us. We use our senses and memories to define what it means, every single day. For Indianapolis immigrants, an understanding of home emerges from dreams, sacrifices, and journeys of miles and years. Join us for a special podcast series to explore the diverse lived experiences of Indy’s immigrant community. Together, we’ll see how, rather than exchanging an old home for a new one, immigrants create a powerful idea: that home is so much more than a place.
Episodes
Jully Pettijohn, a beloved former IndyPL staff member turned child therapist, journeyed from the Chin State of Burma to Greenville, South Carolina, and finally to Indianapolis' prominent southside Burmese community. After returning to Greenville as an adult, Jully recalls the process of finding her community and what it was like to grow up under her mother's roof surrounded by the comforting chatter of family and friends, a...
Koffi Koevi is cementing a place for himself in the Indianapolis community through a wide skill set in cyber security, fashion, anthropology, and cultural & language interpretation. Currently a student at IUPUI, Indianapolis has become Koffi's second home. But a light shines through his voice as he reminisces on the traditions of his home village in Togo.
Hiba Alalami took “a leap of faith” 20 years ago with her husband to leave Jordan and start a new life in the United States. In her time living in Indianapolis, Hiba has become a pillar in the Arab American and Muslim communities. She is a mother of three, a philanthropist, and leader focused on bringing visibility to her community, including as director of the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network. In this conversation, Hiba describes t...
Listen as Maria Manalang begins her story in Indianapolis during the legendary Blizzard of 1978 and shares how her life has blossomed since through multiple career paths in healthcare, the arts, and outreach to fellow immigrants. Today, Maria calls both Indianapolis and the Philippines home. Through her work at Indianapolis' Global Village Welcome Center, Maria explains how she has gained a perspective on life that many can onl...
Dr. Svitlana Ramer has dedicated her life's work to her home country Ukraine, first through her career in Ukrainian tourism, and more recently by co-founding the Ukrainian Society of Indiana in response to the 2022 Russian military invasion. In this conversation, Dr. Ramer describes her experiences growing up in Fastiv and Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. She interweaves her family's history with the country's and adds esse...
When Mestre Iuri Santos moved to Brown County, Indiana, he brought his lifelong practice of Angola capoeira with him. To this day, he uses the art form he learned as boy in Brazil to connect with people. As Mestre explains, the dance kept him rooted in his proud Brazilian history as he raised a family and built his career in the United States.
While a graduate student in public health at IUPUI, Mariam Sylla shares her life's journey from Guinea, to Belgium, and to the U.S., where she dreams of landing a job at global organizations like UNICEF. At a young age, Mariam realized the important issues facing students in the Indianapolis immigrant community because she faced them herself. She now emphasizes the importance of building a support system and the hurdles immigra...
Kwan Hui’s immigration journey began two years after the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 was enacted, allowing more immigrants from different countries to enter the United States. Kwan arrived in New York in 1968 after immigrating from Hong Kong for educational opportunities. His decision to go to school and work in the U.S. provided him with the opportunity to buy his dream muscle car, create an abundant garden, and build ...
Gurinder Kaur shares her journey from New Delhi, India, to Detroit, and finally to Indianapolis to become a physical therapist when the position was in high demand. She is now the Chief Executive Officer of the Immigrant Welcome Center—the first immigrant, woman, and person of color to serve in the role. Gurinder reflects on what reminds her of home in New Delhi, including the smell of rain, chai, and Indian red beans and rice. She...
Indianapolis artist Vanessa Monfreda has lived in four different countries across her lifetime: Chile, Germany, Ecuador, and the United States. This journey provided her with a unique perspective on life. She thinks and dreams in different languages. Her experiences pushed her to explore her identity. Like many of us, childhood experiences shape who we are, and for Vanessa, her artistic expression followed her from country to count...
What does it mean to find a home? For many, home is the place where we feel safe, joyful, and welcomed by the people around us. We use our senses and memories to define what it means, every single day.
For Indianapolis immigrants, an understanding of home emerges from dreams, sacrifices, and journeys of miles and years.
Join us for a special podcast series to explore the diverse lived experiences of Indy’s immigrant community....
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