It took Melissa Andreina Guerra, 23, a long time to go from watching her brother play soccer in Venezuela to being an American collegiate athlete and now teaching young girls the sport she loves.

Aldenora Comeron, a Brazilian immigrant, shares her story about overcoming domestic abuse, personal hardships and living in poverty in Miami.

Elza Habif, 76, emigrated from Turkey in 1952 to marry Alberto, another Turkish Jew already living in Cuba. Eleven years later the couple fled from Castro’s regime to pursue the American dream in Miami.

It is only recently that the dream of owning a home has become a reality for Haitian immigrants. Non-profit organizations like Little Haiti Housing Association are part of the growing network aimed at improving the lives of the Haitian community in Miami.

Dr. Jaime Suchlicki is the director of the Institute of Cuban and Cuban American Studies, which he helped found in 1999. He began teaching for UM in February 1968 and has been a consultant on Cuba and Cuba-US relations for the United States government for the past 30 years.