100 People: New York City

Mashal is growing up in America, but has chosen to follow the tradition of arranged marriages, believing that she can focus on her studies, while her parents can help her find men who would suitable for her to consider.

Jalila felt out of place as a young woman from a mixed culture family in Algeria. She is embracing her freedom in the US to try all sorts of new things and overcome health complications in order to start a family.

Surfing and art keep Juan feeling alive and peaceful here in the US, but he also feels at home with his huge extended family in beautiful Argentina.

Enamul attends an all Muslim school that separates the girls and the boys during the school day. He and his friends are trying to bridge cultural gaps between Bangladesh and the US.

Naznin was raised Muslim, but now identifies “humanity” as her religion. She uses poetry and teaching to spread her message that everyone should find the goodness in the world and seek information about other cultures.

For Icaro, his family, and friends capoeira is a way to stay connected and active with this martial art.

The longevity of a book is dictated by it’s binding. For Ana, taking the time to hand-design a sustainable home for those pages is a slow, but rewarding process that allows her to combine her love for stories and the environment.

As an architect, Jonathas notices the styles of buildings and small details that others may overlook. He believes that a building’s design should always be contemporary to serve as an historical marker of the time when it was built.

Choosing a path and the work culture in Burma were very different from those in America and Thet had dreams of coming to America for different experiences. She distinctly remembers the moment she found out she could come to America and how that moment changed her life.

Brigitte was an ice dancer as a little girl and it was something she just could not stay away from as an adult. Her passion and love for the sport brought her back to the ice and she now competes as an adult and has big goals for herself.

From being left on the doorstep of a hospital at only one year of age to living in NYC with her family and sister, Kira is happy to deal with the ups and downs of having a sibling.

Both, Gemma and her sister, Kira, were adopted from China and are happy to share a strong focus on education and working for the future.

Dr. Nelson Ying is often asked why he puts so much effort in to helping communities other than the one he was born in to. He loves explaining that we are all part of a global village called Earth, so he is on a mission to make an impact for whatever community in which he finds himself residing.

Yin Yuan Gu was introduced to a teaching position at a school for the deaf by some friends. Her determination to learn sign-language and be the best teacher for her students led her to a well-respected career in the field.

Coming from a family where binding women’s feet was common practice, Vera is the first generation in her family to take another path. Her grandmother was unable to walk in the later years of her life, but Vera celebrates her freedom with dance.

Dressmaking is Sidney’s way of uniting Eastern and Western cultures. When her boss came to her and asked if she wanted to start a business with him, she recognized the unique opportunity that was in front of her.

Qi is the only child in her family as she was born during a time when China strongly enforced the one-child policy. Her family pushed her to achieve her dreams and make their family proud, but she now feels responsibility to return home, give back to her country and care for her mother.

Lin Mao loves the art and practice of ballet. She finds joy in dance and hopes to one day become a dance teacher just like her father.

Yao started out working in architecture but something about the process of construction work inspired him. He likes to feel his team’s progress as they build buildings and he uses as much of his earnings as possible to travel the world with his family.

As a Buddhist monk, Shi Xiu Jue follows a lot of strict guidelines and commandments for life. The discipline allows him to focus on really bringing good to the world in the form of peace.

Qing makes all of his hand-pulled noodles with great care and genuine love for the art. His greatest satisfaction comes from hearing that customers enjoyed his noodles, as making them by hand gives them a better texture and size than machine-made noodles.

Jenny and her fiancé had a lot of excitement as they prepared to tell their families that they were engaged. Both sides of the family would have traditional gifts to offer in celebration of the upcoming marriage.

For Yu Heng Li, education and respecting his teachers are very important. He plans to become a doctor and learning as much as he can is extremely important for his future in that field.

Dr. Chen saw the “magic” in healing by acupuncture very quickly. He wanted to help cure patients of ailments and continues to practice acupuncture for a wide-variety of medical issues.

Despite the One-Child Policy in China, Jin’s parents continued trying for a son after she was born. They ended up with three wonderful daughters and are happy to be a very close-knit family nonetheless.

He Zihong values the passing on of the kung fu tradition. He is always learning from other teachers and loves that it is a martial art kept alive through many generations.

Chen first got started in opera to help support his family. It became much more as he learned the power of the commentary that opera can make about society, current and historical events.

As part of her role as a funeral director, Amy comforts people dealing with the complicated emotions that surround the passing of loved ones. She had an emotional, personal experience when her mother died and she felt that she learned to say “I love you” for the first time.

As per tradition, this baby boy is to be named by his grandparents. After a child is born, there is a big celebration to celebrate the birth and the naming of the child, which the grandparents consider a great honor.

At the age of 13, Jhon left his home county of Colombia in search of a life that his family would not provide. After hitchhiking across South America and spending time living on the streets he found peace in yoga.

Between her struggles and experiences in Liberia, Congo and America, Amini was taught the importance of making a contribution. Now, her contribution is empowering entrepreneurs around the world.

Mona participated in the controversial, first, public, mixed-gender Islamic prayer and prayed without her head scarf. She is devoted to challenging the way people think about Muslim culture.

Apufia started selling Ethiopian goods made by artisans to help her family after they moved to the US. It remains a way for her to express her culture and do her part to help the people of her community.

Denise remembers the joys of being and child and seeing the war with a sort of naive amazement. Now, she looks back on those moments and remembers her mother’s pure strength guiding them through hard times and influencing who Denise has become as an adult.

As a child, Casper’s frequent travels and love for science-fiction influenced his view of the world. He now realizes his knack for spacial observation by creating art that parallels cultural differences.

For Rose, the comfort of her grandparents’ advice and stories helped to guide her. Family unity is a priority for her as she moves through life.

Mukti had mixed feelings about moving away from her big family with her husband, Partha. Although living in the US has been a new and different cultural experience, her roots have been a great source of connection and tradition as she raises her family.

At K. Pricor’s school, routine and tradition are an important aspects of the curriculum. Students participate in various group exercises and activities that are incorporated into the school day.

For Vachitar, friendship is beyond any religious or cultural differences. Respecting those differences keeps things interesting.

Hinduism taught Uma to have faith and to respect everyone. As a women physician in New York she uses her religion to guide her through challenges in her practice delivering babies.

For Roger, education started at a young age when his grandfather taught him the alphabet. Due to the few resources for education that were available, he also learned an interesting way of counting with his hands that unites the mind and body.

Smith sees a future of peace where everyone respects each other. He and his friends are facilitating this with diverse, friendly matches of cricket.

Riaz takes great care when raising animals as he values the happiness of his customers. People come to him from all over, from a variety of backgrounds and cultures because of his welcoming attitude and his business selling high quality meat.

Satwant came from a big family and anticipated the same for herself and her husband, but learned that she was unable to have children of her own. She works as a fertility doctor to give the joy of having children to others.

Sangeetha dances to tell stories about history and to keep her culture alive even while living in a different place.

Sadhana’s father gave her this profound name that continues to guide her life. Dance is a way for her follow her purpose and pass culture along to future generations.

Rene grew up in traditional North India where a Hindu ritual is practiced that encourages strict fasting for married women. Rene’s family was not so traditional in that sense and she felt free to find her own type of spirituality.

The more he sees the power of connection through music, Dhurva moves closer to taking the leap and making music his full-time focus to bring people of all different backgrounds together.

Rajinder was shocked when his family lost everything during the struggles between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. After moving out of India to find safety, he noticed that he experiences less discrimination in the US than he did during that time in his home country.

Being a Sikh in America keeps Autar proud to share what it is like to follow the discipline and routine he practices, which he has channeled into 17 years of running marathons.

In India, Partha attended a missionary school run by the Scottish church where he found it fun to be exposed to different religions and cultures in the cultural capital of India. That experience came in handy when he needed the courage to continue his education in America.

Wearing a turban in school has not always been easy for Jasleen and his friends. They are figuring out the balance between respecting their religion and gaining acceptance and understanding from other students.

Pure love for cooking drives the passion behind Minu and Shankar’s restaurants in the US and India. They would like nothing more than to be able to share delicious food with others 24 hours a day.

Dini and her husband both came from large, traditional families in Indonesia. Although she only has two children of her own, she is passing down the value of sharing and working together to her family.

When Hamza grows up, he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and use his ability to speak three languages and excel in mathematics to become a banker. When it comes down to it, he would also like to be a fireman.

With the help of her older brother, Zahra is starting to learn things like manners and songs.

In Bali, there is a caste system that ensures people know what level of society they belong too. Many people share the same names because even their names indicate what caste they are from and what number child they are in their family.

Khalil’s mother and brother were taken to the secret police in Iran to be warned about his behavior and his group of friends. The revolution in Iran helped to end those years of terrible repression and fear.

Salam found himself anxious with high hopes going back to Baghdad after a 25 year absence. Things were not at all as he expected.

Family time around the dinner table is an Italian tradition. Teodosia loves providing this experience for her family, but she does not allow too much help in the kitchen.

Ryo never imagined himself getting married, but he proposed to his girlfriend only two months after they started dating. On his wedding day he describes the feeling of commitment and following what he believes in.

Takayo’s parents were very busy when she was little so she spent a lot of time exploring nature with her grandmother. She finds her creativity as multi-talented artist stemming from those experiences.

The vibrance, family and culture of Kimathi’s hometown, Nairobi, Kenya, continue to inspire his design work. From hand-making soccer balls with found materials as a child to designing in NYC the spirit of his community in Africa opens him to the world.

Strongly influenced by his father and grandmother, Christopher left his background in business to pursue a design career where he could experiment with his love for color.

When looking at art, Julian prefers to have an intellectual approach. As the director of a museum he is able to fill that intellectual desire and cultivate art that shares his Latino culture.

As an immigrant herself, Karla is fighting for the rights of others to end oppression and promote a safe community where her child can thrive.

As a young girl in Morocco, Zineb did not have the freedom to do things that she wanted to do such as take dance lessons or ride horses. Now, she has an education and owns a store that imports work from Moroccan artisans.

Though Luna’s grandmother was unable to tell time or read, she played a part in inspiring Luna to go on and pursue a great education. Luna’s upbringing coupled with her education allowed her to develop her voice that is now integral in her career as an activist.

Peace enjoys working in her family’s garden to reconnect with her faint memories of farming in Nigeria and to give back to the community.

Ray grew up wanting to fly planes like his father until stumbling upon an old man in a beautiful garden changed his path. He was fascinated by the world he found in that remote garden and now works in horticulture at zoos and mentors his staff and children about the importance of nature.

This couple has been together for more than 60 years and can not imagine living any other way. They stayed side by side through struggle and celebration and find great joy in each other’s company.

Usman grew up in Pakistan in a family that highly valued education and religion. Despite learning from Islam that you should not charge interest, he now has a career in finance.

Contrary to the tension between people in Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, Muhammed and his friends are peacefully uniting students from those different cultures living in the United States.

Danny started skate-boarding to emulate his big brother. After years of skating as a hobby, he caught the eye of some sponsors and is now working to travel and skate full-time.

Eugene tells a story of fighting in the war and embracing an enemy soldier by mistake out of pure compassion for humanity. He fought for his country and then continued to fight for his children’s future and dreams.

Bogdan hopes to help future generations by preserving the memories of the past in the cemetery.

Nesya and her husband found each other after they both lost their first spouses. They feel as if they saved each other and are proof that life goes on and there is happiness in being together.

Nina’s young naivety allowed her to have a happy childhood as a Jewish child in communist Russia. She began to understand the controlling government when she noticed differences in two copies of the same book, one from Russia and one from Italy.

Moving from Saudi Arabia to America forced Sarah to adjust to doing things independently. She is finding ways to maintain her own culture but celebrate the diversity of her new home in New York City.

After growing up during apartheid in South Africa, Weedaad and her generation found such hope from Nelson Mandela being released in 1993. She was finally able to aspire for more in life.

Tae simply loves fish. His daily routine may start as early as 4:00 AM when he gets to the fish market.

Despite the negative connotation of flamenco dancing in Spain, Maria continues to dance the flamenco and follow her passion for theater here in the US.

Adeeb escaped the unimaginable horrors of Sudan, yet returns to help the internal displaced persons spread awareness and end the genocide.

Katherine incorporates unique objects into her design work and was inspired when the beauty of her grandmother’s extravagant, traditional funeral reminded her of the importance of staying connected to her Taiwanese roots.

Justa found herself missing Africa when she moved to America and left the traditions and beauty of her country. She brought with her the lessons from traditional songs she learned as a child and is always reminded to make the most of the environment she is in.

Rather than staying in Thailand helping her country, Sirilak ended up in some dangerous situations working for the United Nations to help others and serve many more countries.

The natural beauty of Samten’s home in Tibet inspires his art. Despite a pressure to create more modern works, he sticks to his inspiration and creates beautiful, traditional pieces.

During a civil war in Turkey in the late 70s, Erkut’s mother left him behind to fight against injustice and evade arrest. Years later, he is finding happiness in his role as an NYC train engineer, rekindling his relationship with his mother and occasionally holding the train for people in a hurry.

After trying to start a fight with a mirror when he saw his own reflection for the first time, Milton has spent years learning from his experiences from living in Uganda, Tanzania and the US and defending fair portrayal of other cultures in the media.

Andriy’s mother died in the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. With nothing left to hold him to Ukraine, he came to America to follow his dreams and speak the universal language of music.

Education was a critical part of Mark’s childhood, particularly after his family moved from Scotland and England. Despite their lack of formal education, his parents encouraged him achieve an intellectual level far above their own so that he could flourish.

David’s belief in chemistry, physics, and quantum mechanics fuels his research. He is dedicated to finding technology that will use abundant resources to provide energy to everyone across the planet.

In the Lakota language there is no word for “I” or “me.” Tiokasin and his tribe’s teachings of strength and selflessness include a variety of traditions celebrating the link between man and nature.

While living in the rigid structure of New York City, Adriana practices parkour to see the city from a new perspective.

When it came time to choose a career, Daniel took the support of his family in Venezuela and moved to America to pursue his dream of creating the music he loves.

At a time when the US was under attack, Deborah joined other brave women as part of the first Navy unit for women. Under her title of “enlisted man” she dappled in jobs from radio operator to Navy nurse.

Glenn uses his previous hardships to power his endeavors. Whether it be in his painting or music he incorporates the emotion of his struggles, memory of his grandmother and strength of his community into his work.

For Nguyet religion played a key role in her coping with violence and war in Vietnam. She found comfort for herself and her community in praying for safety.

Growing up in a time when most Yemeni women were not going to school, Amal’s family was one of the few encouraging the girls to value education and diversity.