The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants
Heidy De La Cruz
The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants is an award-winning podcast about sharing the stories of Immigrants, including their first memories of the US, the culture shocks they experienced, and their journey learning to navigate a whole new country. Join me, Heidy De La Cruz, in highlighting these stories that are often overlooked but deserve to be heard. I am on a mission to change the immigration narrative to a more compassionate and empathetic approach, like a Jesus approach.
Experiencing the Fall of the Berlin Wall With Bibi Ep. 80
Welcome to episode 80 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!Bibi LeBlanc was born in the American Sector of West Berlin, Germany. She explains in today’s episode people’s reactions when she says that and what that actually means. She owns a marketing agency that creates coloring books for businesses! Bibi shares her experience of homeschooling her three
Challenges of Becoming a Plastic Surgeon as an Immigrant with Dr. Mesa Ep. 79
Welcome to episode 79 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!Dr. John Mesa was born in Colombia. He shares about moving to Venezuela during the oil boom with his family and living there for a few years before returning to Colombia. From a young age, Dr. Mesa knew he wanted to be a plastic surgeon but knew it had to be in the US. This is because in Colombi
The Heart Coach with Rooya - Coming from Afghan Thinking This is Temporary Ep. 78
Welcome to episode 78 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Rooya was born in Afghanistan and remembers they had electricity at one point, and then they didn’t. During the time that communism was taking over, she remembers if people were caught fleeing or speaking out against communism, they were executed.
She shares their journey, going across the des
How to Obtain EB1A Green Card AKA Einstein Visa with Ranjeet Ep. 77
Welcome to episode 77 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Ranjeet is a coach and mentor who guides professionals into achieving their American Dream by obtaining an EB1A green card (aka Einstein visa) just like he did. He grew up with a journalist mother and a banker father in India. They valued education a great deal, which fueled his passion for lea
This Latina Travels with Bianca Alba Ep. 76
Welcome to episode 76 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today, I bring you the founder and blogger of This Latina Travel - Bianca Alba! Bianca shares about growing up in the DMV area or DC, Maryland, Virginia - which, before this episode, I had no idea was referred to this way. She shares her experience of obtaining a full-ride scholarship to colleg
The Master Delegator with Kirsty Yoder Ep. 75
Welcome to episode 75 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today, I spoke with Kristy, the host of The Master Delegator Podcast and owner of a virtual assistant agency. Kristy is from the Philippines, and she moved to the U.S. after meeting her husband on a Christian dating app.
She started her business back home in the Philippines, and she was able t
Amigas Collective Founder - Diana Rubi (Mexico) Ep. 74
Welcome to episode 74 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Happy New Year! Today is the first episode of 2025 and the new format, where I’m releasing episodes every Tuesday! I’m excited to bring you content on a weekly basis since the show is growing, and I’m so excited for this growth. Also, the podcast is officially sponsored! This past November, I
From Exchange Student to Business Coaching With Dr. Griselda Martinez Ep. 73
Welcome to episode 73 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today, I’m bringing you my conversation with Dr. Griselda Martinez. Dr. Martinez is a business coach for women entrepreneurs and hosts the podcast “Unexpectedly Successful,” where she shares guests’ success stories.
She shared with me about her childhood in Mexico - recounting her freedom of
“If I Denounce My Accent” with Sindy F. Ep. 72
Welcome to episode 72 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today, I’m sharing my conversation with author Sindy F., who wrote If I Denounce My Accent. This novel is based on true events, and I finished it on our holiday vacation in the Dominican Republic. There was something different about reading a book about the Dominican culture and experience whi
Navigating Different Worlds: Chinese, Vietnamese, Taiwan, and American with Kathy Ep. 71
Welcome to episode 71 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today, I spoke with Kathy, a transformational coach, about her unique experience as a first-generation child of immigrant parents from two different countries. Kathy shares heartfelt stories about her upbringing, cultural identity, and navigating life as an immigrant child.
Kathy’s mother, a Ch
The Empowered Woman’s Path: Marta’s Journey from Brazil to the US. Ep. 70
Welcome to episode 70 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Marta Spirk, a Brazilian immigrant who moved to the U.S. at 23, nine months after having her triplets. Marta has worked as a freelance court interpreter and is now a visibility strategist and recording artist with two published books and a podcast. Her passion for learning Engl
Education as a Gateway to Opportunity with Aimee Portes Ep. 69
Welcome to episode 69 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Aimee Portes - who shares her journey of immigrating to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic. Amy reflects on her early life in the Dominican Republic, explaining how financial pressures led her family to move to the U.S. to pursue better educational opportunities. She describe
“We Have All Been the Others” with Pat Marino Ep. 68
Welcome to episode 68 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Pat Marino, the author of “We Have All Been the Others": Reflections of a First Generation's Daughter on Belonging, Democracy, and a New American Dream.” Pat is a historian and was a high school ESL teacher. In her book, she shares about her grandparents' experiences living in
Building Inclusive Teams: The Journey from an Immigrant to HR Consultant Ep. 67
Welcome to episode 67 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Solveiga Jaskunas, an HR consultant and career coach who shares her journey as an immigrant from Lithuania to the United States. We discuss her childhood under Soviet rule, the challenges she faced adjusting to life in America, and her passion for helping other immigrants profe
Bridging Borders: A Journey Through Culture, Identity, and Resilience with Soraya Ep. 66
Welcome to episode 66 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Soraya Senosier, the host of the Diaspora in Development Podcast. She shares her journey as a Haitian-Canadian growing up in Canada and the cultural impact of the U.S. We talked about societal differences between Canada and the U.S., although as neighboring countries, there are
My American Dream is Belonging with Prasanta Verma Ep. 65
Welcome to episode 65 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Prasanta Verma, the author of Beyond Ethnic Loneliness: The Pain of Marginalization and the Path to Belonging. In this episode, we talk about her family’s decision to move to the US. Prasanta shares that the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 allowed her father to come,
From Bankrupt to Millionaire with Immigration Attorney Hector Quiroga Ep. 64
Welcome to episode 64 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is immigration attorney Hector Quiroga. Hector came to the US from Colombia to study English and eventually stayed. He initially was interested in NASA and studied in Texas, but then he moved to Washington and became an attorney. Hector comes from a family of attorneys from back i
I Never Identified as a Child of Immigrant Parents with Evelin Andrade Ep. 63
Welcome to episode 63 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Evelin Andrade, founder of Ir Al Sol Swimwear. She shares her story of growing up in Queens, New York, with immigrant Colombian parents. Starting at the age of eight, she and her sisters would spend the summers in Colombia. Evelin shares the first culture shocks she experienced
“The Honduran Government Wouldn’t Release My Passport” with Marlen Ep. 62
Welcome to episode 62 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Marlen Lane, a singer/songwriter, blogger, and podcaster. Marlen also sings on her church’s worship team and volunteers with the youth. She shares about growing up in Honduras with a close-knit Christian family and growing up as a PK or Pastors’ Kid.
Marlen met her husband i
I Was in a Diverse Bubble With Idrees - Trinidad and Tobago Ep. 61
Welcome to episode 61 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Idrees Khan - his parents immigrated from Trinidad and Tobago, and he was born and raised in South Florida. If you know anything about South Florida, you know how culturally diverse it is. Idrees shares the mixture of friends and people he grew up with and thought that the rest
From Being Told, “You’re not a good writer,” to Publishing Two Books! With Prisca Mojica Rodriguez Ep. 60
Welcome to episode 60 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is author Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez. She was born in Nicaragua and moved to the United States with her family in elementary school. She is the founder of Latina Rebels. She studied at Vanderbilt University, earning her Master of Divinity. She’s published two books For Brown
Don't Give Up Your Home Country's Health Insurance with Maritza Ep. 59
Welcome to episode 59 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Maritza Perez from MP Virtual Assistant. She runs a VA company, but before she started her business, she worked at Disney for about ten years. Maritza was born and raised in Colombia, and she came to the US when her dad’s business partner made a business proposal for him. Her o
Ciao Bambino with Dr. Elizabeth Turner Ep. 58
Welcome to episode 58 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Dr. Elizabeth Turner, the writer and director of the musical and book Ciao Bambino—a musical about the Italian immigrant experience based in New York City in the 1940s. Dr. Turner grew up in New Hampshire to a large Italian family, and she talks about how keeping culture and tr
From New York to Paris with Lory Martinez Ep. 57
Welcome to episode 57 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Lory Martinez, the founder of Ochenta Studios, a podcast production studio. Lory grew up in New York to Colombian immigrant parents. She wanted to be an international journalist, and that dream led her to create her podcast production company.
She hosts the Mija Podcast, which
From Jamaica to New York with Stacey Ep. 56
Welcome to episode 56 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Stacey from Batch Pantry. Stacey was born in Jamacia and moved to the US at the age of five. She was raised in New York City but would visit Jamacia frequently in the summer growing up.
Listen in as Stacey talks about starting kindergarten in the US knowing how to do multiplic
From Kenya to Tanzania to US with Dr. Munira Zahabi Ep. 55
Welcome to episode 55 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Dr. Munira Zahabi, who is an entrepreneur, author, mentor, coach, public speaker, and podcaster. Her podcast is called Munira’s Musings. She is also known as The Niche Navigator.
Dr. Zahabi was born in Kenya but married at the age of sixteen and moved to Tanzania. She explains
Honest Immigration with Attorney Erika Cisneros Ep. 54
Welcome to episode 54 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is immigration attorney Erika Cisneros. Erika grew up with an immigrant Mom, but her dad was a fourth-generation Mexican-American. She knew at a young age that she wanted to be an immigration attorney, but she shares about a pivotal moment when that passion for helping the immigra
From DR to PR to NY and Repeat with Andrea De La Cruz Ep. 53
Welcome to episode 53 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is photographer Andrea De La Cruz. She grew up traveling between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Some summers, she would stay with her dad in Puerto Rico, but mainly, she was with her grandparents until her grandmother decided to move her to New York to live with her aun
An American Immigrant with Johanna Rojas Vann
Welcome to episode 52 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Johanna Rojas Vann, the author of An American Immigrant! Johanna's parents moved to the US in the 1980s, and she was born here. They lived in New York City first and then moved to Maryland, where Johanna primarily grew up.
We talked about the cultural norms her parents k
From Antigua and Barbuda to New York to Miami with Attorney Anique Samuel
Welcome to episode 51 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is immigration attorney Anique Samuel. She grew up on the island of Antigua and Barbuda and moved to the United States at age 17 after graduating from high school. Before moving, she had visited because her mom was living here in the States, so adapting to the US was different for
"What If We Can't Get Back In?" Traveling with Advance Parole for DACA with Kevin
Welcome to episode 50 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Kevin is the host of the Latin American Educational Opportunities Podcast, where he shares his passion for various topics like business, finance, technology, politics, and mental health - that he believes deserve greater attention within the Latin American community, as his website states.
T
Going Digital Before Going Digital Was Popular With Kim
Welcome to episode 49 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Kim Decena from Decena Media, a marketing agency. Kim shares with us her experience growing up in the US with Colombian immigrant parents. She discusses the cultural norms that her parents kept from Colombia and the American norms they adopted. Kim talks about her experience of
Latinas with Master’s with Christina Rodriguez - (Nicaragua)
Welcome to episode 48 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Christina Rodriguez, the founder of Latina’s with Masters. This is a community to inspire, empower, and educate our community and future generation leaders with equitable pathways, academic advancement, and professional growth, as stated on their Facebook page.
In today’s e
"From the Age of 11 I Knew I Belonged in the US" with Annie P. Woods (DR)
Welcome to episode 47 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Annie Woods - a coach for immigrants and a public speaker. She also hosts the Substack newsletter, “Homecoming,” where she shares life as an immigrant, a mother, and a human.
Annie shares that her love for books and reading began at the age of eleven. It opened a whole new wor
Part Two - From Undocumented to US Citizen with Maydelli
Welcome to part two of episode 46 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today, we are finishing Maydelli's story, and in this episode, you'll hear about life after DACA, visiting Mexico, and applying for citizenship!
I’d love to hear what part of the episode stood out to you.
With Love, Heidy
Connect with Maydelli:
Instagram: @healingthrus
Part One - From Undocumented to US Citizen with Maydelli
Welcome to part one of episode 46 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Maydelli Mendoza, she is a mental health advocate, speaker, podcaster, and transformational life coach! And in today’s episode, she shares very candidly about her experience living undocumented in the United States.
Maydelli grew up in an unstable home in LA, then
From Undocumented to Immigration Attorney with Kelly Dominguez
Welcome to episode 45 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Kelly Dominguez. Kelly is an injury and immigration attorney. She was born in Mexico and lived there until she was about five because after her parents divorced, her mother wasn’t able to make ends meet and saw the United States as an opportunity to better her life and her chil
What Was Supposed to be 1 Year to Learn English Became 20+ with Ilona (Czech Republic)
Welcome to episode 44 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Ilona Phillips. She is an eating disorder specialist. Ilona came from the Czech Republic, and the original plan was to stay for a short while to learn English. Growing up in former Czechoslovakia, Ilona couldn’t learn English until high school, and Western media wasn’t allowed
Re-Writing My Own American Dream With Laura
Welcome to episode 43 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Laura Fortuna. She is a financial coach for immigrants, and she provides educational information about finances in Spanish on Instagram.
Laura was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to Switzerland when she was three years old. She and her mom then moved back to DR, and e
From Brazil to Cali to Play Tennis with Leticia
Welcome to episode 42 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Leticia Gonzalez Dos Santos! She runs the podcast-producing company Pod Media Lab.
Leticia was born and raised in Brazil she moved to California to learn English and play college tennis. In order for an international student to be accepted into a university in the US, they hav
We Escaped Cuba on a Raft! with Gea Gomez
Welcome to episode 41 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Gea Gomez. She is a realtor and host of the podcast I Got an Accent So What, in which I had the pleasure of being a guest. You can watch my episode on her show here. And she so kindly returned the favor and shared her story of coming to the United States from Cuba in a raft!
G
In the Middle of Grief I Moved to the US with Yara
Welcome to episode 40 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Yara Demarque. She is a finance advisor who immigrated from Brazil because her family wanted to fulfill her sister’s wish of living in the United States after she suddenly died from eating a burger! Not only is that tragic – Yara was also engaged when her family decided to move
I Didn’t Know What a State Was - I Just Wanted to Get to America
Welcome to episode 39 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Ichko Jackson; she is a life coach who specializes in helping women find quality gentlemen to date. She’s been a certified coach since 2020.
Ichko is from Mongolia, and she moved to the United States in 2013. After her mom got into an accident, Ichko had to work, and she was a
Coming as an International Student Was Faster
Welcome to episode 38 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Daniela Diaz; she is a social media manager. Dani helps small business owners with their presence on social media by creating content and helping them manage their accounts. We met at a networking event, and once she told me she was from Venezuela, I asked her if she would be i
Women of Welcome Director Bri Stensrud
Welcome to episode 37 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Bri Stensrud the director of Women of Welcome. And if you’ve listened to any of my episodes you know how much I mention this organization because of the work they are doing within the immigration space. So, being able to interview and get Bri on the show was such an honor for m
Become an Immigration Specialist with DOJ Accreditation with Joanne McAfee
Welcome to episode 36 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s episode is a little different than usual because instead of speaking to an immigrant, I am speaking with someone who is an immigrant ally and works in the immigration space without being an immigration attorney.
Her name is Joanne McAfee and we connected through the Facebook group Wo
"I Thought I Was Going for a Few Months and Stayed for Six Years!" with Louie (English)
Welcome to episode 35 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Louie Bischoff from NRT Marketing. She tells us about her experience being overseas in Taiwan – falling in love and bringing her then fiancé over to the United States. Louie went through the whole process of getting her fiancé’s green card or permanent residency status.
The in
"Gatito Inmeegrante" The Best Immigration Story Ever written by Alfredo (English) (South America)
Welcome to episode 34 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Alfredo Bravo De Rueda, writer of Gatito Inmeegrante screenplay, which he says is the best immigration story ever! He came to the United
States from South America at almost 40 years of age.
Alfredo starts the show by sharing that his background is in economics but unfortunatel
From Transylvania to Helping People Achieve Their American Dream with Edit (English)
Welcome to episode 33 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Edit Perez, a Real Estate Agent in Central Florida. She tells us today about her journey coming from Romania.
Edit shares that her parents didn’t tell her they were moving when they went on “vacation” to Hungary when she was 15. It wasn’t until they arrived in Austria that the
Be Femme Strong with DACA recipient Diana - (Mexico) (English)
Welcome to episode 32 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Today’s guest is Diana, founder of Be Femme Strong. A women’s merch and apparel company that helps women feel bold and confident. And she is also a photographer. Diana shares her story of growing up undocumented in the United States. She is one of the 643,560 DACA recipients living in the Unite
"Our Wealth Matters" with Maribel (Mexico) (Spanglish)
Welcome to episode 31 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time.
Today’s guest is Maribel from Our Wealth Matters. She has been featured in The New York Times and Next Advisor con Time. Maribel is an immigrant money coach! We connected on Instagram and she educates and coaches immigrants on finances and building wealth!
Maribel shares her story of growing
Does the American Dream differs? with Vera (Nigeria) (English)
Welcome to episode 30 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time.
Today’s guest is Vera from Redeemed Christian Lifestyle. She is a Christian life coach who focuses on helping Christian professionals with their spiritual needs, and she runs a Christian teaching ministry for women.
We talked about her experience as a child of immigrants and some of the challe
A Just Mission with Mekdes Haddis - (Ethiopia) (English)
Welcome to episode 29 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time.
Today’s guest is Mekdes Haddis. She is a speaker, author, business consultant, and coach. Mekdes came from Ethiopia to attend college in the United States. Her parents felt that receiving higher education in the West was the best thing for her. She attended her first year of college in Ethiopia
Finding Your Purpose With Burcu (Turkey) (English)
Welcome to episode 28 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz where I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time.
Today's guest is Burcu Onaranel. She is the owner of Joy, LLC, international speaker, and host of The Coffee O’Clock Podcast. In her podcast she shares joy and inspiration with guest from all over the world who have inspirational stories to tell.
Burcu came to the United States from Tur
Be Open to Learning with Andrea (Ecuador) (English)
Welcome to episode 27 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants podcast! I am your host Heidy De La Cruz, and today’s guest is Andrea Rotondo from Liquid Cents Bookkeeping.
Andrea was 16 when her parents decided to move from Ecuador to the United States. Her dad got a great opportunity to take over a business in the US, and her mom always wanted to live here, so it was the perfect time for them; however, Andrea wanted to finish high school with her lifelong friends.
We talked about her e
Chinedu from The Immigrant Investor Show! (Nigeria) (English)
Welcome to episode 26 of The American Dream In The Eyes of Immigrants podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz and today’s guest is Chinedu Akunne from The Immigrant Investor Show.
His podcast is about highlighting the immigrant hustle, like pains, wins, and lessons, to help motivate those stuck along the way. It’s a monthly podcast that has been heard in over 45 countries. Chinedu and I connected on Instagram after one of my followers shared that she was on his podcast, so I asked him to be o
From Brazil to the United States with the Au Pair Program with Rosana (English)
Welcome to episode 25 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host Heidy De La Cruz, and we are celebrating one year of this podcast this week!!!! The official anniversary is April 19!!!! So, to celebrate, I am doing a $50 gift card giveaway on my Instagram starting tomorrow (April 19 until Friday, April 21, 8 pm EST). Follow me on Instagram for the official rules to enter the giveaway!!!!
Thank you so much for all your support this past year, and I cannot wait to see
"Life with Francy" - From Puerto Rico to Maryland with Francy Devarie
Welcome to episode 24 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants podcast.
Today’s guest is Francy Devarie – the podcast host of “Life With Francy Podcast.” She came to the United States from Puerto Rico when she was 15 after she was married at 14! Yes, this is definitely a story to listen to!
Francy’s story is a story of hardship to triumph and is such an impactful story. It was moving to hear all the things she went through and see how much she’s thriving now. I was on Francy’s podcast s
"Coming to the US From Bosnia to Be a Doctor and Realizing I Had to Repeat Classes" with Marija Dobratic (English)
Welcome to episode 23 of the American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast! I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz. Today’s guest is Marija Dobratic. She is a life coach and the host of Legacy Stories LIVE Podcast – another podcast elevating immigrant stories, which I had the honor and pleasure of being a guest on.
In today’s episode, we talk about Marija coming to the United States from Bosnia and her wanting to be a doctor, but she quickly found out how different the school system is here and th
"Through the Eyes of My Grandmother" with Betsy Sloan
Welcome to episode 22 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz. If this is your first time here, welcome; if not, welcome back.
Today’s episode is a little different – this story is about a grandmother, Martha Sherman, who came to the United States before World War I, and it’s told by her granddaughter Betsy!
Martha came from what used to be Russia but is now Ukraine. She fled because she was told to leave her home because she was Jewish. Listen t
The Ace Candles Founder - Thalia! From PR to US - English
Welcome to Episode 21 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast; I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz. Today’s guest is the founder and creator of Ace Candles, Thalia.
Thalia is from Puerto Rico, the youngest of three, and she was nine when her parents decided to move to the United States. Although she knew English before they moved, she was still placed in the ESOL program (English for Speakers of Other Languages), and it took some time for her to adapt to schooling in the US.
We spea
Learning to Unlearn Culture Norms in a New Country with Mariana - Brazil (English)
Welcome to episode 20 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz. If this is your first time listening, welcome, and if not, welcome back. I'm so glad you're here today.
In today's episode, I speak with Mariana, who came from São Paulo, Brazil as an adult. She received the opportunity to come to the United States through her employer, which was a dream come true! Even though it was a dream, there was still an adjustment period with learning how to do things
Orlando Center for Justice Founder Gisselle Martinez - (Colombia) (English)
Welcome to episode 19 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz. Today’s episode is with immigration attorney Gisselle Martinez. She and her family moved to the US from Colombia when she was twelve years old. They first moved to South Florida and then to Iowa, which was a complete culture shock.
The struggles she and her family went through when they first arrived in the US inspired her to become an immigration attorney. Gisselle is one of the foun
Be Limitless with Sandra & Noemi - Mexico (English)
Welcome to episode 18 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants podcast. This episode is another sibling episode, but this time it’s two sisters, Sandra and Noemi. Their parents came from Mexico and talked about their experience growing up as children of immigrant parents.
They talk about having to help their parents out in the fields picking oranges in the summertime and then helping at their mom’s store on the weekends. It wasn’t until recently that they stopped helping their mom – when
"Different people; Different memories" with Jonathan & siblings - from DR, to New York, to Michigan (English)
Welcome to episode 17 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast, I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz. This episode is very special because this episode is with my husband and his older siblings. They share their memories of living in the Dominican Republic and then moving to the USA. You will listen of their very humble beginnings and they struggle they endured adapting to living in a new country.
One thing I like about having this podcast and sharing these stories is that people can
From Cuba to Russia, back to Cuba, then the USA with Dr. Gala - Part II (Spanglish)
Welcome to part two of episode 16 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host Heidy De La Cruz and today we continue with my conversation with Dr. Angela Gala.
In this episode Dr. Gala talks about the opportunity, she had to come to the United States with the Public Health International Leaders in DC. She also had the opportunity to travel to various countries because of her job. Finish listening to her incredible story.
Connect with Dr. Gala - https://www.facebook.co
From Cuba to Russia, back to Cuba, then to the USA with Dr. Gala - Part I (Spanglish)
Welcome to part one of episode 16 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz. Today’s guest is Dr. Angela Gala, Nutrigenomic Coach and she is from Cuba. We start the conversation talking about her life in Cuba. She gave the background of her parents, how they met, where they live etc. She provided some Cuban history about the revolution.
She had the opportunity to study in Russia for college, but first she had to do one year of college classes in Cu
"We Are Going To Disney World" with Melissa Alves - Peru (English)
Welcome to episode 15 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast; I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz.
Today’s guest is Melissa Alves – she came to the US at age five from Peru. We talked about her first memories of the US – when she first arrived, she remembers waiting a long time in a station wagon at a gas station for her uncle to pick them up. And she remembers crying every day because she didn’t want to go to school because she didn’t understand the language. We also talked about
"I Saw In His Eyes, He Wasn't Coming Back" with Noor (Pakistan) (English)
Welcome to episode 14 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz. In today’s episode I speak with Noor Pinna, she moved to the United States from Pakistan at the age of 5 because her father left his family. And she speaks about the journey coming here and honestly, it’s such an impactful story.
The connection wasn’t the greatest when we were recording and Noor explains why but overall, her story is still impactful. She has the funniest first memory
The true definition of The American Dream with Little Dreamers Publishing founders (English)
Welcome to episode 13th of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast; I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz. We have our first video episode with the founders of Little Dreamers Publishing, Nayeli, Nidia, and Nadia. Three sisters started this company to provide bilingual books to Spanish-speaking families.
We spoke about their journey of being undocumented in the US and then getting legal status through the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). This act made hiring people with
Refugee work in Egypt & Ecuador with Adina from Immigrant Finance
Welcome to episode 12 of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast; I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz. Today’s guest is Adina Appelbaum, an immigration attorney, and financial/business coach. She and her husband run Immigrant Finance, where they help immigrants with their finances – like getting into investing and starting their businesses.
Adina tells us about her time in Egypt doing immigration refugee work and refugee work in Ecuador too.
Connect with Adina:
https://www.instagram.co
From the Philippines to the US with Karen (English)
Welcome to episode 11 of The American Dream In The Eyes of Immigrants podcast – I am your host Heidy De La Cruz. In today’s episode, I speak with the owner of Trinket Traces Jewelry, Karen. She was born in the Philippines and shared her experience of living in the Philippines with nannies and having people help around the house but not having any of that here in the United States. We also talked about food in the Philippines, staying connected via Wi-Fi, and her jewelry business. Although she mo
Far From Home with Mabel Ninan - (India) (English)
Welcome back to another episode of The American Dream In The Eyes of Immigrants – I am your host Heidy De La Cruz. In today’s episode, I speak with Mabel Ninan; she is the author of Far From Home Discovering Your Identity as Foreigners on Earth. Her book talks about her immigration journey and how, during the journey, God helped her remember that Earth is not our forever home. This episode is filled with fascinating facts about India and Mabel’s immigration story of coming to the US.
Connect wit
From Mexico to the US to Pack Tomatoes with Rosalba (English)
Welcome back to another episode of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast; I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz. For today’s episode, I spoke with Rosalba Fontanez.
She talks about coming to the US when she was 17 with plans to work packing tomatoes and send money back to her family. This was her way to help raise her younger siblings because her father had passed recently. To her surprise, she met her husband the very next day and didn’t go back to Mexico.
Listen to her story and conn
Immigration Questions & Process With Attorney Chris Acklin (English)
Welcome back to another episode of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants. Today’s episode, I talk to immigration attorney Chris Acklin. He gives his background on how he got into immigration law, he answers immigration questions my followers were interested in knowing and provides insightful information about the immigration process.
A little disclaimer: technology was not on my side the day of the recording, so there are glitches. Nevertheless, the episode is impactful!
I hope this episo
From Nicaragua to the US with Dali - Part II (Spanglish)
Welcome to part two of episode 7 with Dali from Nicaragua. In this episode Dali shares her experience in the immigration detention center when her and her family first arrived. She shares about visiting Nicaragua after 30 years! And we ended the episode by talking about food.
I truly hope you enjoy listening to today’s episode and learn a few things because Dali gives us a few fun facts! Please share this podcast with a friend to spread awareness. Also, please leave a review on whatever platform
From Nicaragua to the US with Dali - Part I (Spanglish)
Welcome to part one of episode 7 of The American Dream In The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast, today’s guest is Dali from Nicaragua.
Dali is an Anti-Bullying Educator from Nicaragua, in this episode she tells us why and how she started this company. She tells us about her life in Nicaragua and the tough experiences she endured when she first moved to the US – the racism, language barrier etc.
I truly hope these stories help people see the true encounters immigrants have when moving here, it’s not eas
From Colombia To US With Ana T. (English)
Hello everyone & welcome back to another episode of The American Dream In The Eyes of Immigrations – today I am bringing you my talk with Ana T.
Ana is from Colombia who came to the US at the age of 11 and she speaks about her expectations coming from movies she had seen before moving to the US, culture shocks, and what she misses the most from Colombia.
She also talks about her business Spots on the Fox. https://hype.spotsonthefox.com/junior/
**If you could kindly, please give this podcast
From Jamaica to US, to Guam with Charmaine - Part II (English)
Hello and welcome back to the American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast with me, Heidy De La Cruz. Today I am bringing you part two of my talk with Charmaine. So if you haven’t listened to part one – listen to part one first and then this one. Here we talk about life in Guam, the culture in Guam, and life in Michigan.
**If you could kindly, please give this podcast a review to help others know about it and if you'd like to be a guest on the show or know of someone who would, send me a me
From Jamaica to US, to Guam with Charmaine - Part I (English)
Hello and welcome back to the American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast with me, Heidy De La Cruz. Today I am bringing you part one of my talk with Charmaine. She moved from Jamaica to New York and then lived in Michigan for a while and now lives in Guam. In this episode Charmaine talks about visiting the US before her family decided to move from Jamaica, her new school route once she got to the US, and we chat about common misconceptions that immigrants get for seeking out a better oppor
Lo Que Pensé Que Iba Ser y No Fue. Con Mayda (Spanish)
Bienvenidos al podcast El Sueño Americano en Los Ojos de Inmigrantes mi nombre es Heidy De La Cruz y gracias por compartir este momento conmigo. En este episodio hablo con una persona super especial para mi, ella es mi madrastra, Mayda – pero no la considero mi madrastra ella es mi mama. En este episodio hablamos de su experiencia cuando ella por fin se decidió mudar para los estados unidos y la diferencia en culturas de República Dominicana y aquí. Bueno aquí va el episodio que disfruten :)&nbs
Living in Puerto Rico vs Living in The US with Vivi (Spanglish)
Welcome back to the 3rd episode of The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants podcast. I am your host Heidy De La Cruz and I’m so glad you’re here! In this episode I talk to my friend Vivi about the differences between living in Puerto Rico and the US – although Puerto Rico is part of the US there are some cultural differences. This episode is in Spanglish (English & Spanish) and I had so much fun recording it from my car! I hope this episode leaves you as inspired as I felt after talking
Llegando de Venezuela con Tania (Spanish)
En este episodio hablo con mi vecina Tania que vino de Venezuela. Hablamos sobre su vida en Venezuela, cómo se adaptaron a vivir en los Estados Unidos y también comparamos palabras Venezolanas y Dominicanas. Gracias por estar aquí y compartir este momento conmigo. Espero que disfrute mi conversación con Tania :)
**If you could kindly, please give this podcast a review to help others know about it and if you'd like to be a guest on the show or know of someone who would, send me a message o
Differences in school systems between Dominican Republic & US with Carla Soto (English)
Hi Friends!
Welcome to the first episode of The American Dream In The Eyes of Immigrants! My first guest is Carla Soto and she shares her experience with living in the DR and US. She shares a lot of comparisons of the school systems and living in both countries. Thank you so much for listening and your support. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend, this helps get the word out of this new podcast!
I'm so exciting for all stories I w
Intro to The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants
Welcome to The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host Heidy De La Cruz and this podcast is all about sharing the stories of immigrants. We explore their first memory of the US, the culture shocks they experienced, and their journey learning the American culture as they transform into their lives. Come along on this journey as we listen to the stories of what makes this nation so great, the diversity and melting pot of all the people. Thank you for listening and supporti