Milwaukee is really the only hometown I’ve ever known. I was born in Washington, DC, but I’m the youngest of five, and I was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back. Before I was one year old, we moved to Milwaukee so we could live closer to my dad’s family in Chicago. I …
I was born and raised in Wausau. My family’s story to America is one that is very similar to many folks in the Hmong community and other groups of people, including Afghan families – a story of sadness and sorrow that forced them to flee their homeland and start a new one in a new …
I am the owner of Las Milpas LLC, a Mexican restaurant and Latino grocery store in Baraboo. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd My day starts at 6:30, getting my daughter to school and heading to my store. In the afternoon I pick her up, we eat dinner together, and then I go back to the …
“If we all stay united, we can be all stronger.” Read More »
I grew up in Evansville, about a half-hour south of Madison on Highway 14. Mine was a pretty good childhood. My dad, who was an engineer on the railroad, was away a lot, but he made things count when he was home. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd Evansville was a really great town. My front …
“I hope to spend my whole life from here on in the service of others.” Read More »
“I like to say I am Mississippi-made, California-cultivated, and Midwest-matured. Photos by Lovell Richardson I’ve always had a big personality and been outspoken. Growing up my friends looked to me to be a leader. When I was in grade school, I knew I would be the voice for people who couldn’t speak for themselves. I …
“My faith in God is what really strengthens me.” Read More »
I grew up in Evanston, just north of Chicago. I met Buddy, my husband, in grad school a landscape architecture program. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd After we graduated, Buddy got an internship at the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo and I got a job in Chicago. We decided there would always be jobs in …
My father was an English teacher. When I was seven years old, he asked me, ‘Masood, when you graduate, where would you like to go?’ I said, ‘I want to go to America.’ Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd He said, ‘Why is that?’ I answered, ‘Well, I’m reading a lot about America and learning about …
“I believe that if people can be taught to hate, they can easily be taught to love.” Read More »
I’m from Fall Creek, Wisconsin, which is a very small town. Growing up, I was surrounded by a family of storytellers. Photos by Andi Stempniak My dad’s a public speaker, and my grandparents love to tell stories. My paternal grandmother has been writing poetry for longer than I’ve been alive, and my mom’s mother used …
“I love creating characters with important life lessons to learn.” Read More »
I was born and raised on the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe Indian reservation in northern Wisconsin — I had a lot of fun growing up there. Photos by Andi Stempniak As kids, we were outside all of the time. In the summer we spent the majority of our time swimming, and in the winter it was …
I was born in Taiwan, and my dad was a very poor preacher. When I was just a little tot, I remember my dad took my brother and me to the zoo in Taiwan. This was a huge treat for us. We saw something there that day we had never seen before—an American with blonde …
“It all began with my father smiling and saying, ‘Hello’.” Read More »
I am a Dominican Sister of Sinsinawa whose congregation — a religious community of Catholic Sisters — is based in the southwestern Wisconsin town of Sinsinawa. Photos by Tyra Leonard Born and raised in Big Spring, Texas, I am also Mexican American and a third-generation American. My parents are devout members of their Catholic parish. …
“It is a blessing to live in community, to love and serve God and God’s people.” Read More »
I was born in Madison in 1970. My mom is Jewish and from Long Island. My dad is Catholic, Mexican, and from Chicago. They met in the VISTA program (Volunteers in Service to America) and settled in Madison. Photos by Gary Porter “In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Madison felt magical to me. At age ten …
From ‘Girl Reporter’ to Wisconsin’s First Female Sports Anchor Read More »
