KUT Austin | August 2019

'First Days in America'

We are finding, coaching and training public media's next generation. This #nextgenradio project is created with partner station KUT Austin, where six talented student journalists are participating in a week-long state-of-the-art training program.

In this project, six immigrants talk about how their first days in the United States shaped their lives today.

CHINESE TAI CHI MASTER FINDS BALANCE

by Geronimo Perez

Aiping Cheng’s first journey to the US led to a permanent stay, decades later.

CHANGING LENS: A COLOMBIAN FILMMAKER’S JOURNEY TO THE BIG SCREEN

by Morgan Kuehler

Andrés Torres was a promising documentarian in his native Colombia. He could have gone to any film school, but choose to come to the University of Texas at Austin to build a foundation for his filmmaking career.

A 61-YEAR-OLD POWERLIFTER FINDS STRENGTH TO MOVE ON

by Allyson Ortegon

Dora Justice powered through adversity and defied the odds to build the great life she envisioned in the United States.

A SINGLE DROP OF HONEY:  WINNIE THE POOH AND AN ADVENTURE TO TEXAS

by Tiana Woodard

Growing up in rural Japan, Hana Kawashima Ransom struggled to meet her country’s expectations of women. By learning English, she found a new place for herself in the United States.

ABHI THE NOMAD FINDS A HOME IN AUSTIN

by Antonio Cueto

Indian rapper Abhi The Nomad spent most of his life feeling isolated —until he decided to move to Austin on a whim.

ROOTED IN THE RHYTHM: DANCER INFUSES CAMEROON INTO HIS LESSONS

by Amarachi Ngwakwe

After winning a visa, Raoul Kamela left Cameroon in 2015 to live in the United States. He now teaches dance to hold onto a piece of home.