"I was born in Siberia, in a small town. The name of the town is Tobolsk, in the Tyumen region. People don't know about this culture in America at all, but we are a very big culture in Russia and we are Muslim."

"I didn't understand why I needed to learn a language that I didn't use at school. Looking back, I am so thankful for her persistence. Arabic has become an integral part of me."

"I do like representing myself this way, like I do like representing myself as someone who's a part of something greater than me and to represent it in the most positive way."

"Growing up was sort of interesting because I'm a first generation American. So it was kind of a struggle between what my family says is right and the values we try to maintain versus the American lifestyle and how it is to live out here."

"My uncle died on September the 11th. If you visit the WTC Memorial, you will see his pictures. He is wearing a white tupi, a brown vest, and he is smiling back at you."

"I'm a New Yorker, I'm an American, I'm an Iranian, but I'm also a human. All the people in my life have made me who I am today."

"Every Syrian dreams of the day that they will go back and try to rebuild what has been destroyed."

"What motivates me is a collective struggle of coming from communities where we are not welcomed for making choices for ourselves. I join current and future generations to stand against ostracization for any expression of any part of our identities."

"It took me a while to reclaim my past in poverty. These days, I embrace my past. I talk, dress and act how I want to, and these things don’t determine my worth as a person."

"There's a lot of need for reform, especially for women's rights. You don't have a society that is moving forward, you have a society that's mired in the past."

"Cultural taboo and judgmental people aside, I focused just on my son and my business. Having a new business is challenging, being a single mom is challenging, combine the two and you have double the challenges."

"My passion for serving people and fighting for peace, human rights, and democracy only grew during my time in the United States. It was not an easy move by any means, however."

"I would most like to be remembered as someone that was generous and gave back to those around me. I don't want a life of a glamour, but a real, honest, generosity and love-driven existence."

"In fact, I feel more welcomed in this country than in many parts of the east. I always feel, accept and approach the diversity in openness and America has."

"I'm afraid of mediocrity. As a Muslim, a woman, and a first-generation immigrant, I face certain additional challenges as I try to shoulder the weight of expectation placed upon me by my parents' move to this country."

"It was definitely a point when I began to experience not being in a fully immersed Muslim culture, or not being around the influence of my Dad. That's the first time I started eating bacon, and you know, kind of pushing the envelope and exploring what it meant to not be in that immersive environment."