10 migrant stories to celebrate US National Immigrants’ Day

Alexandra Aristizabal - A cancer survivor celebrating Colombian pride in the US

Alexandra is a mom, wife and the director of the Colombian Pride Independence Festival - one of the largest Latino events in the tri-state area. In 2013, only three months into the second run of the festival, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo a double mastectomy. Despite these challenges, she was determined to keep the festival going and carried out her duties to host the event that year.

She’s an impressive entrepreneur, too. Her 20-year track record and experience in event management empowered her to create J&A Global Corporation, a company in charge of logistics, marketing and advertising.

Hiyaw Gebreyohannes - A chef and restaurateur bringing the taste of Ethiopia to the US

Born in Djibouti, raised in Canada and now based in DC, Hiyaw is a chef, restaurant owner and a founder of the Taste of Ethiopia. His business distributes ‘grab and go’ food boxes nationwide; so all Americans can enjoy the rich palette of Ethiopian flavours from the comfort of their homes. Some of Hiyaws clients include Tyler Perry, Oprah, President Clinton, Google and Goldman Sachs!

“Being a migrant has allowed me to be more open and respectful of other cultures, and to be more curious about the world around me. It’s opened the door to relationships with people from other international diaspora communities."

"It’s also expanded my network of people with fascinating and diverse backgrounds. I believe that having the right people around me has been so instrumental in supporting me on my journey.”

Father Javier Arias - A priest shining a light on migrant communities in the US

Born in Bucaramanga, Father Arias was consecrated as a priest for the Diocese of Villavicencio in 1995. Since then, he served as a Chaplain in the Acacias Agricultural Prison and founded two parishes.

In 2013, he moved to the parish of St Alban's in Beamsville, Ontario, where he developed a pilot programme focused on helping migrant workers. The initiative was covered by Univision USA and multiplied in different regions of Canada, reaching approximately 90,000 migrants each season! His efforts led to greater recognition of contributions made by migrant workers to the local community and Canadian society.

Father Arias is currently at St Bede's Parish in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he continues to advocate for migrant communities.

Chekwas Okafor - A nigerian entrepreneur and founder of African fashion e-tailer

New York-based Nigerian entrepreneur, Chekwas Okafor, is the founder and CEO of ONCHEK, an e-commerce platform for luxury fashion from Africa.

“My cultural identity contributed to my success abroad. Just by default, you’re coming to New York with a different perspective and that helps you see opportunities where others don’t."

"You treat people with empathy and respect because you understand what it feels like to be an outsider. And learning from different cultures helps you to unlearn certain things that you’ve grown up believing. So being Nigerian and having a different culture has been very useful.”

Veronica Orozco - A social media powerhouse dedicated to helping others

Veronica is an activist, writer, podcaster and blogger who lives in Miami, USA. A law graduate, Veronica decided to instead pursue her two biggest passions - writing and social media.

As a passion project, she shared snippets on Twitter about what it means to her to be a woman. Social media has allowed her to pass her message onto other like-minded individuals. She's now accumulated more than 120k followers.

Veronica has a proven record of turning lemons into lemonade. Following her divorce, which she described as "one of the toughest moments of her life", she foundedher blog LA DIVORCÉE. Her stories about self-love and her journey back to regaining self-confidence resonate with the lives of many, giving strength to people going through similar challenges. Thanks to her storytelling, she's met many influential people, including Juanes, a popular Latin artist, which has helped her to further her career. She's now working as a Creative Director at Indio Films, a production agency, writes for different publications and is the creator of two podcasts - "Vida Real" and "La Ola".

Kevin Onyona - a chef and restaurant owner with a passion for Kenyan food

Kevin Onyona talks about Swahili Village and his journey in the United States

In this video kevin Onyona, chef and owner of Swahili Village talks about being an immigrant in the United States, and how he changed careers to become an entrepreneur and chef at his very own restaurant in Beltsville.

Cassia Cardoso - A proud migrant and founder of successful skincare line

Cassia Cardoso is a mother of three who moved to the United States from Sao Paolo, Brazil in 2008. Cassia is the driving force at Cassia Cardoso Spa in South Florida, where she has won the trust of many Hispanic celebrities, including actress Elizabeth Gutiérrez. Together, they launched a successful skincare line, 'Ely by Cassia'.

“If you’re a migrant and are willing to work hard for your dreams and believe in God, then you can achieve everything. I like sharing my personal stories with fellow migrants. It was very challenging to be parted from my two children, who were still living in Brazil at the time."

"I had some days when I couldn’t stop crying, but that only pushed me to find a way for my kids to legally come to the United States. I was able to reunite my whole family four years ago. All of us together, it’s a dream come true.”

Angela Maria Tafur - A philanthropist raising millions of dollars to help communities

Angela is the Co-Founder and President of Give to Colombia. This US-based charity has channelled since 2004 US$25 million to Colombia in the areas of education, health, economic development and the environment.

Before engaging in the philanthropic sector, she gained significant experience in the legal and financial sectors.In 2012 she was named as one of the 100 Most Influential Latinos of Miami and in 2014 one of The MostInfluential 100 Colombians by Fusionarte. Her company NaiTafur Corp offers specialised consultancy services in the efficient management of non-profit organisations and for-profit startups with a social impact.

Jackson Mvunganyi - A former asylum seeker and founder of African radio show

Following the troubles in Rwanda’s, Jackson’s parents escaped to Uganda to seek safe asylum for their children. Jackson, now living in the United States, is the founder, producer and editor of interactive radio show Up Front Africa Show. His show promotes an honest conversation on the everyday issues of African people.

“Being a migrant can be quite challenging. You must learn and adapt to new cultures while maintaining your own unique identity. You have to navigate and exist in an environment that can in many ways be hostile to foreigners. I don’t mean hostile in the violent sense of the word, but in the sense of obstacles to finding opportunities to advance yourself."

"I’m talking about finding the means to attend a school or about getting the job offer you desire. My advice is to never stop learning and to never lose hope.”

Brendan Flores – A Filipino Philanthropist & Advocate

Brendan is the youngest ever elected Chairman of The National Federation of Filipino American Associations.

As National Chairman of NaFFAA, Brendan is responsible for leading the largest national affiliation of Filipino American institutions, organizations and individuals to unite and amplify the voices of the four million Filipinos and Filipino-Americans living in the United States. Brendan holds a position as Senior Vice President and Consumer Banking Performance Manager at Bank of America.

Brendan is a recipient of ABS-CBN North America Gawad Geny Lopez Bayaning Pilipino Award (Global Filipino Hero). He was also honored as one of the most Outstanding Filipino Americans in the United States, a Global Innovator Award recipient as well as the National Academy Foundation’s Alumni Honoree of the Year. He was recently named as one of the Top 40 Asian American Pacific Islanders’ political operatives and public affairs professionals under 40.

Andres Jaramillo - A Miami university graduate and visual designer

Born in Colombia, Andres completed his undergraduate degree as an international student at the Miami University of Art and Design. Since then, he’s really made a name for himself. He opened his own design studio with other creatives providing quality visual content for clients such as Disney, Tinder or Marvel.

“I didn’t leave my country because I had to. Moving to the United States was always a question of my professional growth. To me, being a migrant is a good thing."

"There’s a lot of paperwork and legalities to get through, but in the end, that’s what helps you grow as an artist and a person. Those obstacles make you stronger and help you learn to overcome the small things in life. It gives you a different perspective and teaches you to overcome difficulties.”