Exploring immigrant experiences

Explore the experiences of immigrants or first-generation Americans. What does it mean to fit in and feel American?

If you’re not an immigrant or first-generation American, find someone who is willing to share about their experiences.

First-generation Americans were born in the U.S. but have parents who were born elsewhere, while immigrants moved to the U.S. from another country. If you or your parents were born in another country, how do you stay connected to more than one culture?

Over the past decade, the percentage of Americans born in another country has been growing. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the nation’s foreign-born population was 46.2 million in 2022 (13.9% of the overall population) – an increase of 15.6% since 2010.

Talk to your friends, family, and people in your community. For inspiration, check out this story about a Cambodian refugee made by a student journalist in Portland, Oregon, or this story about a young immigrant working to become an attorney, made by student journalists in Washington DC.